The Doctor and the Sorcerer
by VoidTraveller
Summary: The TARDIS is dead. The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble are stranded in a land of myth and a time of magic. However, they befriend a local boy, Merlin, and what starts as a chance meeting soon turns into a race against time. With Prince Arthur's life in mortal danger and the city under attack from strange, unearthly creatures, Merlin and the Doctor must join forces to save Camelot.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

The TARDIS pitched violently for the fourth time, knocking Donna Noble from her feet. She grasped for the uneven coral pillar but her hands slipped and she fell, colliding ungainly with the far wall.

"The force fields are down – external _and_ internal!" The Doctor yelled above the noise of the screaming engines and the hissing of smoke and steam. "Drift compensator and stabilisers are also out … we're losing control!" On hearing no reply he turned momentarily from the central console to see his companion lying unconscious on the floor.

"Donna! Are you alright? _Donna?"_

Desperately he tried to stabilise the Time Rotor as best he could but the TARDIS was having none of it. The low chime of the cloister bell echoed ominously above the chaos, indicating a critical systems malfunction and imminent danger of total destruction. She pitched again, this time slamming the Doctor fiercely across the control room, but he managed to save himself by grabbing hold of the ship's handbrake at the last minute. With a final explosion and a shudder that shook the time machine to its core, the TARDIS crash landed. The central lights dimmed activating the emergency power systems, which were at least still functional. The interior of the ship plunged into an eerie glow of orange silence.

The Doctor glanced quickly over towards Donna and seeing her starting to open her eyes, knew that she was alive.

"Are you alright?" he gasped, snatching hold of the nearest fire extinguisher and starting to put out some the small fires that had erupted around them.

"Hmmm?"

"Good!" Throwing the extinguisher to one side, the Doctor grabbed hold of the scanner monitor. On flicking the switch the screen blinked hopefully but then showed nothing other than static.

"Aarggh!" frustrated, he thumped it heavily, trying to force the thing to life. Instead it simply winked twice before fading to nothingness. "No! No no no no! Don't do that! Come on," he coaxed. "What's wrong with you eh?"

Donna hauled herself clumsily to her feet. "What happened?" she groaned. Dazed and rubbing her head, she stumbled her way over to the central console to join the Doctor. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," he answered quietly, running his hands through his hair. He flicked several of the various switches on the instrument panels but the TARDIS remained silent and unresponsive. Gradually, the emergency power also began to fail, descending the TARDIS into complete darkness. The Doctor fumbled around in his jacket pocket for a second and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "She's lost all power," he said, activating the device. "We've fallen out of the Time Vortex. Everything's dead, even the extrapolator. The TARDIS is dead." He stared helplessly around the silent, ghostly interior of the ship. "We're lost."

"But we've landed right?" Donna asked apprehensively.

"Oh yes, we've definitely landed!" he looked sideways at her. "The question is, where?"

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -

The rain continued to fall heavily as the two men rode on horseback through the forest. The prince sat proudly upon his steed leading the way. Following closely behind rode a young boy roughly the same age as the prince. He was wet, grumpy and slouched uncomfortably in his saddle. The sodden dead rabbits from the morning's hunt swung awkwardly over his shoulder, occasionally trickling big, cold drops of water down the back of his shirt. Suddenly, the boy heard a rustling from beyond the trees just off the beaten track that they been following. He turned towards a small clearing as something caught his eye. He pulled up his horse to listen closer.

"Mer-" the prince interrupted as he turned and drew up alongside the boy.

"Ssh."

"Mer-"

"Ssh!"

"Merlin!" cried the prince. "I am the King's son! You can't tell me to shut up!"

"I didn't tell you to shut up Arthur," Merlin replied smiling. "I told you to 'ssh', there's a very big difference!" He turned back towards the trees, his eyes searching the dense forest for any sign of movement. But it appeared that whatever it was that had distracted him had vanished.

"What are you doing anyway?" asked the prince irately.

"I thought I saw something … over there."

"Oh please don't tell me that you're having one of your 'funny feelings' again, because I really don't think I could handle that today -"

"There!" cried Merlin excitedly, catching another glimpse of the strange object amongst the trees. "Did you see it?"

Prince Arthur squinted in the direction of Merlin's frantic finger-pointing but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"No!" he said angrily. "All I can see is you flapping your arms about like a mad man! What was it - a deer?"

The horses however could also feel something. Something strange. Something untoward that should not have been there. Merlin's horse whinnied and reared up onto its hind legs, almost knocking him from his saddle and causing him to narrowly miss the prince's face with his fist.

"Stop it Merlin!" Arthur shouted. "You're spooking the horses." The prince clicked his heels and turned toward home. "You know, I really do wonder about you sometimes. Come on, let's get back. There's no sport here today, thanks to you!"

Merlin turned his horse to follow his master but stopped short suddenly. Something was pricking at the back of his mind. Something was calling him back.

"I think I'm going to stay for a bit."

"What?"

"Erm, I've just remembered, I need to get some herbs for Gaius," Merlin lied.

"Honestly, there's always some excuse to skive off with you isn't there? Alright, go!" The prince sighed. "Just don't forget that my armour still needs polishing, my sword needs sharpening, my quarters need tidying and, oh yes, the horses will need rubbing down and mucking out too!" He smiled widely at Merlin. "So, you know, you take as long as you want … picking your flowers!"

With that, Prince Arthur clicked his heels and cantered off leaving Merlin alone in the forest.

\- 0 - 0 - 0-

Merlin dismounted and tethered his horse to the branch of a nearby tree. Cautiously he made his way towards the strange blue box standing silently amongst the trees, wisps of white smoke curling gently from around the doorway. There was a peculiar, unearthly feeling emanating from it, Merlin could sense it.

"Hello?" he called out nervously. Merlin reached out to put his hand against the door which suddenly and without warning swung open.

"Ooh! Hello!" said the tall, male figure now leaning out from the doorframe. "Sorry! Wasn't expecting anyone to be standing there … quite so close! Donna!" he called back through the door. "It's OK, it's safe to come out. We're in some kind of … big wood. Looks like we might be back on Earth! Are we on Earth?" he asked, turning to the boy.

"Ermm," Merlin stuttered. "What?"

As the man edged himself carefully through the narrow doorway, Merlin thought he saw a glimpse of something quite impossible behind him. He stood on tip toes and craned his head to see over the man's shoulders but found the door pulled abruptly shut, preventing him from getting a further look inside.

"What's … what's that?" Merlin asked, his mind racing.

"What's what?" Asked the Doctor innocently.

 _"_ _That!"_ Merlin exclaimed pointing at the TARDIS.

"Oh that!" The Doctor turned and patted the side of the ship. "That's the TAR -" He stopped short. "Hang on, now, you weren't supposed to notice her when she landed … How did you see her? Oh don't tell me the perception filter's broken again? Or did she land next to you? Oh God!" the Doctor suddenly had a horrible thought. "You were alone weren't you? We didn't land on someone did we? Please tell me we didn't land on someone!"

Merlin stepped closer towards the box. "No … erm no, no, I was alone," Merlin stammered. "I'm just observant, that's all."

"Oh phew! Hate it when that happens!" said the Doctor smiling. " _This_ is my TARDIS."

"Your what?" Merlin's brow furrowed as he walked slowly around the outside of the box. "I don't understand, what's a … a TARDIS?" he asked as emerged around the other side.

"She's my …" the Doctor paused, briefly scanning Merlin's clothing, trying to gauge an approximate time period. "... chariot. Or at least she was, she's broken. And unless I can get her working again, I'm afraid that me and my friend are stuck here. I'm the Doctor by the way!" he said shaking Merlin's hand. "And this is Donna." The Doctor looked around him but Donna was nowhere to be seen. "Oh god where's she gone now? _DONNA?"_

"Alright!" Came the reply as Donna emerged from the doorway. "No need to shout! Oh, hello! And who's this then?"

Merlin placed his hand gently against the door of the TARDIS. He moved closer and placed his ear gently against the wood. The Doctor and Donna exchanged confused glances.

"It's alive!" Merlin whispered. "It speaks to you. _What is it?"_ He wandered back around the exterior of the box, smiling in wonder. "Is it magic? You know that magic is outlawed right? The King would have your head."

In a mirroring gesture, Donna, curious to see what Merlin had felt, lay her hand on the door and pressed her ear up to the wood. However, all she felt was the cold, dampness of the recent rain, icy against her skin. Donna screwed up her nose and tutted in frustration.

"I told you," the Doctor explained. "It's my chariot, my ship."

Merlin frowned again. "Ship? But … we're miles from the coast." He turned his attention back to the wooden frame. "No … no, it's more than that. It's a part of you. But … how can that be?"

"OK, now that's a bit clever!" The Doctor muttered to himself. "What I'm more interested in is why her perception filter didn't work on you?" The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver from the inside pocket of his trench coat and scanned the boy quickly from head to toe. "What's so special about you?"

Merlin looked nervously about him. "Nothing," he replied somewhat overly cheerily. "Absolutely nothing at all! I'm just a regular person. Completely ordinary, that's me!"

The Doctor examined the results from the sonic scan and smiled. "Oh-ho! There's nothing ordinary about you is there?" he laughed. "Oh but this is brilliant! _Molto bene!_ "

"I don't understand," Donna frowned. "What's brilliant?"

"I know who you are, and … _If_ the legends are to be believed, I know _what_ you are!" The Doctor continued, his smile growing ever wider. "Which means, I know _where_ we are!" His feet fidgeted with excitement, whilst Donna became increasingly more confused and impatient.

"I don't get it Doctor!" She turned to the boy. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"I'm Merlin. Manservant to Prince Arthur of Camelot."

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

The Rising Sun tavern was busy that evening, crammed with the usual locals as well as passing traders. The air was dark and thick with the heavy stench of ale and stale bodies. Laughter and cries rang out as money was won and lost at cards and other betting games being played at the various tables.

Over in the far corner, an arm wrestling match, which had now been going for some considerable time, remained in full swing with loud grunts and determined groans coming from both opponents. They seemed an unlikely pairing with one man being much smaller and leaner than his oversized, mammoth adversary.

"Come on, give in!" Jeered the smaller man, laughing. "You know you want to!"

"Never!" his opponent grunted. "Do you realise how much money you already owe me?"

"I know, I know," he groaned. "… A fair bit I admit … but how about double or nothing eh?" he smiled mischievously. "Best of three?"

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention. Momentarily, he lost all thought of the game. A wild chorus of raucous jeers erupted around him as his arm was smashed to the table.

"Double or quits eh?" the victor reminded him.

"What? Oh, come on, best of three – you agreed!" he protested innocently. "But first, if you'll excuse me gentlemen, duty calls." He stood, smoothed his hair with this hands and straightened his shirt.

Across the room, the Doctor and Donna stood at the bottom of the stairwell. On glimpsing Merlin through the crowd, they made their way across the dimly-lit room and joined him at one of the long wooden tables.

"You made it!" cried Merlin, smiling broadly. "Are the rooms OK? Probably a bit basic I know but … Do you want a drink? I'll get you a drink!"

"There you go Donna," the Doctor smiled, soaking up the atmosphere. "Arthurian life in all its glory!"

"Hmmm," Donna's brow furrowed as she made herself comfortable on the bench. "Shame they haven't invented soap yet! Why can't we ever go anywhere that doesn't honk?"

"Honestly, there's no pleasing you is there?" the Doctor mumbled sitting himself down.

"Mead!" Merlin announced, proudly presenting them with a tray of tankards. Donna thanked him and taking one of the tankards from him, she eyed the contents suspiciously. She sniffed at it before taking a small tentative sip.

"Mmmm!" she said pleasantly surprised and, on realising that she could quite easily develop a taste for mead, she proceeded to down the best part of the remainder in large, thirsty gulps. Over the brim of her tankard, she became aware of a small, slightly scruffy, roguish looking man approaching them from across the room. She stopped and eyed him warily.

"Hello, my lady," he said taking her hand and kissing it gently. "I'm Gwaine. _Sir_ Gwaine. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Donna smiled tightly and pulled her hand away as quickly as she could. "Well, isn't that … nice? Thank you. Charmed, I'm sure." She turned her attention back to the Doctor and Merlin but was perturbed to feel Gwaine pushing his way on to the end of the wooden bench beside her.

"I'm one of the King's knights you know," Gwaine said smiling at her.

Donna looked him up and down for a moment, taking in his dishevelled, unshaven appearance. "Yeah?" she snorted disbelievingly. "Bully for you!"

"One of his most trusted knights actually," he continued, moving a little closer toward her.

"Is that a fact?" she replied thoroughly disinterested, but moving slightly up the bench away from him.

"And certainly one the bravest!"

Donna turned to face him. "I'm sorry," she said sharply, "I'm not sure what your game is, but are you trying to impress me or something?"

"Yes," Gwaine smiled simply.

"Oh!" Donna replied, taken back. "Well … stop it," she said, slightly more quietly than she had intended.

"No," he said, grinning at her. "So, what do you say then, my lady?" Gwaine moved closer so that his thigh was now brushed up against hers.

"About what … exactly?" Donna frowned.

"About you and me? I am a knight after all. I need a good woman to look after me when I come home, weary from battle -"

"- Yeah, no offence," Donna interrupted haughtily, moving further still up the bench. "But you can go and get stuffed Sunshine! I'm not looking after anyone and I am certainly _not_ 'your' lady."

Gwaine, forever the ladies' man and not one to give in easily, again followed her up the bench. The Doctor and Merlin watched the comedic display with avid, morbid interest from the opposite side of the table.

"I wish you were," Gwaine continued, "because I'd …"

"Oi!" Donna snapped crossly, slapping away the hand that had just been delicately placed upon her knee. "Leave it out!"

"And," he whispered in her ear, "I _am_ very good with a sword -"

"- Right! That's it!" With that, Donna walloped him hard across the face. Gwaine, losing his balance, toppled backwards from the bench, knocking over the table in the process and hitting his head as landed upside down in a twisted heap on the tavern floor.

"Thumping a knight of the Round Table … oh nice one Donna!" The Doctor muttered to himself. "So much for keeping a low profile!"

On hearing the commotion, two large gentlemen from Gwaine's table looked up and shook their heads.

"Oh no, not again!" they said almost in unison. They excused themselves from their group and made their way over to where Merlin and the Doctor were trying to free a giggling Gwaine from the tangled mess of the upturned table.

"Sir Leon of the King's guard, my lady," the first of the two men announced. "Please accept my apologies for this man's behaviour. He will be dealt with accordingly I assure you."

"I think he's probably just had a bit too much of the old mead that's all!" Donna snorted shuffling out of their way. "Poor bloke reckons he's a knight!"

Sir Percival, the second of the two men, a giant but gentle man, bent down to help his friend to his feet. "Knocked out by a woman eh?" he whispered as he took hold of his hand. "That's got to hurt!"

"Ohh, but _what_ a woman!" laughed Gwaine righting himself and brushing the drops of mead and sawdust from his hair. "Still, you can't blame a guy for trying now can you?"

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -

The high spirits continued in the tavern as the evening went on and the patrons became more and more intoxicated. Merlin sat next to the Doctor, his mind full of questions for his new friends.

"Who are you Doctor, really?" he asked eventually. "I know you're not a sorcerer because I don't feel magic about you, but you know things, things that you can't know."

The Doctor looked about them. "OK Merlin. I'll tell you, but you can't whisper a word of this to anyone, do you understand?"

"Oh trust me," Merlin reassured him. "I know how to keep a secret!"

The Doctor leaned in towards Merlin and lowered his voice. "Donna and I, we're time travellers. We've travelled here from the future."

Merlin's face fell. "Well, if you're just going to take the mickey out of me," he said affronted. "There's no need to be rude." Disappointed in the Doctor, he collected his tankard and stood up to leave.

"What?" exclaimed the Doctor confused. "No! No, I wasn't!" He leaned up and grabbed Merlin by his arm and pulled him back into his seat. "Sit down! Merlin I'm telling you the truth!" he hissed. "We've travelled in time from the future."

"I don't believe you." Merlin replied flatly.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Honestly, you people! You believe in magic and dragons but, oh no, can't possibly believe in fourth dimensional travel!"

Merlin, still slightly insulted, stared at him blankly. The Doctor may as well have been talking another language for all that he understood of his explanation.

"More ale Gentlemen?"

"Three meads please," Merlin replied to the landlord as he collected their empty tankards.

"Righto," he called out as he walked away. "I'll bring 'em over."

"Look," the Doctor sighed. "We travelled here in my time machine – you saw it! The blue box in the forest! She's called the TARDIS – it stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. She's a time machine and she can travel anywhere in time and space. Except now she's developed some kind of fault and lost all power to her main energy turbines, which in turn has drained all the supplementary battery power supplies, leaving her powerless causing her to fall from the Time Vortex and …

Donna kicked him under the table. "What did we say about 'space babble'? It's not clever and it doesn't impress anyone!"

The Doctor huffed petulantly. "… She's broken and we've crash landed here in Camelot."

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -

From the other side of the tavern Donna's potential young suitor, Sir Gwaine of the King's knights remained utterly entranced by her. So, when he saw her leave the table, he seized his chance to talk with her male escort. Hurriedly, he crossed the crowded floor of the tavern and planted himself opposite the Doctor and grinned.

"Merlin!" he said breezily and slapping him on the back. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"I thought you'd already done that!" Merlin replied cheekily. "Gwaine, this is the Doctor, oh! And _this_ is his travelling companion, _Miss_ Donna Noble!" he added as she returned unexpectedly and resumed her place on the bench. Merlin chuckled to himself as he swore Gwaine was starting to blush.

"It is an honour to meet you, my lady," Gwaine said, completely ignoring the Doctor's outstretched hand and taking Donna's instead! He bent to kiss it, but stopped short, not wishing for another smack in the face. "I am truly sorry for my earlier behaviour towards you, my lady. I hope you will accept my humble apology?"

Donna glared at him for a second or two, but then her face softened and she smiled a little. "Alright, apology accepted. But keep your comments and your hands to yourself!"

Gwaine placed his hand to his heart and nodded respectfully before turning his attention finally to the Doctor.

"May I ask you Doctor, what are your intentions towards the Lady Donna?"

Donna choked on her mead, inadvertently spitting some of it across the table. "You what?"

"I'm sorry …?" enquired the Doctor slowly. "My what now?"

"Your intentions," repeated Gwaine. "After all, you travel alone with her, and yet you are not wed. I hope your intentions towards her are honourable Doctor."

Donna leaned forward trying to edge her way between the two men. "Erm, yes, excuse me!"

"Oh, no!" the Doctor laughed. "No no no!"

"No?" cried Gwaine, slamming down his tankard angrily and slopping ale over himself.

"What?" repeated the Doctor, slightly confused. "No! I mean yes! Yes they are, honourable. My intentions are _completely_ honourable I assure you!"

Donna leant forward further. "I said ' _Excuse me!'_ … I _am_ here you know!" she said angrily. On finding herself ignored once again, she leant back on the bench and folded her arms defiantly. Donna was becoming decidedly cross!

Merlin fidgeted awkwardly. "I'm sure they are listening to you really. They are." He swallowed hard as Donna blinked slowly and switched her icy glare toward him. "Sorry … I'll just …. shut up now," he said nervously and took a long draught from his tankard. Donna turned back towards the Doctor and Gwaine.

"So then she is your betrothed Doctor?"

 _"His what?"_ Donna shrieked, causing Merlin to jump near out of his skin.

"My what?" asked the Doctor.

Gwaine's face darkened once again as he prepared to challenge his rival to a duel if he had to.

"Honestly, look it's not like that!" The Doctor attempted to explain. "We're just … friends. She's my …" he searched for the right word, not wanting to upset the knight any further, "… my associate, my _companion_ … yes, that's it! Thank you Merlin, you said it! She's my companion. That's all."

Gwaine surveyed the Doctor for a brief moment, before he relaxed and a small smile hinted at his lips. "So," he ventured, "there is no…"

The Doctor's eyes widened in horror. "God no!"

 _"Oi!"_ Donna squealed. "I saw that, spaceman!"

Gwaine relaxed back on the wooden bench and grinned like a Cheshire cat.

On seeing the look on Gwaine's face, the Doctor quickly downed the remainder of his tankard. "Yeah … good luck with that one!" he muttered. He rose to his feet and, taking her gently by the elbow, the Doctor ushered Donna away from the table. "Come on you, time we left. I think you've caused enough trouble for one night!" He nodded to Merlin, "Night Merlin, I think it's about time I escorted the 'Lady' Donna back to her room!"

Gwaine immediately leapt forward, "Oh! I could always -"

"No!" the Doctor interrupted before he could continue any further. "Just … no."

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Prince Arthur lay in bed, lazily watching the sun as it shone brilliantly through the windows of his chambers. Merlin busied himself laying out the prince's clothes ready for the morning ahead.

" _You_ have friends Merlin?" Arthur chuckled, turning to face him. "How on earth do you have time to make friends?"

"I know!" Merlin exclaimed. "Tell me about it! What with running about after you all day and having to do all my errands and chores for Gaius." He lay Arthur's trousers out on the bottom of his bed and flattened them with his hands. "And then there's my studying! I have to do that as well you know if I'm ever going to become a physician. It's amazing I ever have time to meet anybody at all!"

"Have you quite finished?"

Merlin pulled a shirt from the wardrobe and pondered for a minute. "Yes," he replied bluntly.

"Good!" said Arthur finally swinging his legs over the side of the bed, stretching and making his way over to the window. "Because I was actually going to say that I would like to meet these new friends of yours." He looked out across the busy stone courtyard.

Merlin smiled. "You would?" However, his delight was short-lived as he suddenly thought of the repercussions should anything come to light concerning his new friends' true nature. His face dropped. "Oh, you would?"

"Yes, I mean …" Arthur turned and lifted his arms as Merlin draped the clean shirt over his head and slipped it down over his shoulders. "…I _have_ to put up with you, you're my manservant. I have no say in the matter. I'm interested to meet someone who does it by _choice!"_

"No, no you wouldn't!" replied Merlin frantically, ignoring the insult and holding out Arthur's trousers for him. "They're actually … boring! They are really, _really_ boring! Honestly, you wouldn't _believe_ how boring they are!"

"Then why are you friends with them?" Arthur asked, standing on one foot and balancing himself on Merlin's head as he stepped each leg in turn into his trousers. "If they're so very _very_ boring …"

Merlin smiled widely. "Because they make _my_ life seem …. so much more interesting!"

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Gaius sniffed the bubbling mixture and smiled, it actually did resemble mushroom soup this time! He turned back to his workbench and finished replenishing his physician's box ready for his rounds the following day.

"Tincture of wormwood for digestion," he muttered to himself as he collected the small blue bottle from the shelf and placed it carefully in the bag. "And … oh yes, Mistletoe for the kidneys." He crossed to the wooden cupboard by the window and opened the doors. His eyes scanned the myriad of bottles and containers.

"Hawthorn. Hawthorn, now where have you got to? Ah! There you are you little devil!" He took the small vial of powder and closed the doors. Gaius stopped and took a moment by the window. He smiled and closed his eyes as the warmth from the late afternoon sun bathed his face. He was just starting to relax when Merlin came clambering noisily through the door of the chambers which he shared with his guardian.

"I am so tired! I can't ever remember being so tired."

Gaius came to with a jolt. "Well, that's what you get for spending all night in the tavern with your friends!" He dropped the Hawthorn powder into his medicine bag, closed it tight and handed it to Merlin.

"Arthur wants to meet them," he said, taking the medicine bag and placing it by the door ready for the morning.

"Do you really think that's wise?" Gaius frowned.

"Not entirely."

Gaius turned to Merlin as he stirred the soup once more. "Since the King has been unwell, Prince Arthur is doing his best to fulfil his father's responsibilities, but just lately, Lord Agravaine has shown a somewhat unhealthy interest in the affairs of Camelot and advises Arthur a little too strongly I fear."

"Don't you trust him?" Merlin asked, frowing.

"Agravaine is suspicious of newcomers to say the very least, and especially those more 'interesting' than himself, don't you think?"

Merlin nodded. "Perhaps Arthur could meet them when Lord Agravaine isn't around," he suggested. "Maybe while he's training the men."

Gaius stirred the large steaming pot for one final time and strained the soup into two equal bowls. "Well, whatever you think Merlin. Just be careful, you don't know anything about these people."

Merlin shrugged his shoulders as he sat at the table and began slurping at his soup. "They seem nice! And different, interesting, not like some of the people around here."

"That's what worries me!" Gaius sat opposite Merlin and began to eat. "They could be dangerous! I mean, are they sorcerers too?"

Merlin thought for a moment. "To be honest, I don't know _what_ they are. But I know that they don't have magic – I can tell when people have magic and I don't feel it with them, either of them. But I can't tell Arthur that without dropping myself in it."

"So what will you do?" Gaius asked. "If Arthur, or God forbid the King, should have the slightest suspicion of your magic Merlin, Uther will have your head too."

Merlin toyed with his soup, wondering whether to elaborate on the Doctor's story. He trusted Gaius with his life and if anyone could offer help, he could.

"The man," Merlin started tentatively. "'The Doctor', he spoke of time travel."

" _Time_ travel? You mean seeing the future? Perhaps then, he's a soothsayer or a seer?"

Merlin shook his head. "No, he says he can travel in time. He says he's from another point in time, in the future. Is that possible?"

"That's ridiculous!" Gaius cried. "Just think for a moment about what you're saying Merlin – time travel! How would that even work, even if it was possible?"

Merlin laid his spoon on the table excitedly as he began to explain all that the Doctor had told him. "The blue wooden box, he says it's his ship. It can travel in time and space and, I've seen it Gaius, it's alive! I could feel it!"

"Oh don't be so ridiculous Merlin! Listen to yourself! How can it be alive if it is made of wood?"

Merlin shrugged obstinately. "Trees are made of wood, they're alive!"

"Don't be stupid Merlin, that's not what I meant and you know it! If I was you I would tread very carefully! And keep your friends as far away from Arthur and the King as possible! Now, eat your soup."


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"Can you believe it?" The Doctor laughed as he and Donna strolled slowly through the lower town of Camelot. They meandered their way through the small market stalls, stopping every now and then to look at the various goods and trinkets. They turned their noses up at the smells from the cattle pens and generally soaked up the atmosphere of Arthurian life!

"We're actually going to meet Prince Arthur! _The_ Prince Arthur. The future _King_ Arthur. The King of all legends!" He skipped excitedly. "Except Elvis of course!"

Donna put on her sunglasses against the bright morning sun, only to have them whipped off her face as soon as they reached her nose.

"Oi! Stop it!" cried the Doctor. "These haven't been invented yet! This is one point in history that we definitely can't start mucking about with."

"It's weird …" said Donna, reluctantly putting her sunglasses back into her satchel. "I didn't even think that all of this was real! This is all so _odd!_ I mean it's always odd wherever we land. It can never just be normal, but, I didn't think that _'all this'_ was real!"

"Ha! Neither did I!" laughed the Doctor taking her by the shoulders. He pointed animatedly as a small parade of knights marched by them led by Prince Arthur himself, breathtakingly smart in his shining armour and red robes emblazoned with the gold Pendragon crest. "But look at them Donna! They're all here – Merlin, the Knights of the Round Table, King Arthur –"

"- Yeah, one day maybe!" Merlin interjected as he appeared behind them. "Not if the dollop-head carries on the way he's going. He won't live long enough! Honestly, sometimes I wonder how he's stayed alive for so long … I tell you, if it wasn't for me …"

"Well, one day he will be king and it will be all thanks to you!"

"Really?" asked Merlin quickly.

"Look at them!" the Doctor continued. "I was beginning to think that they really were just myths and folklore, all just lost in the legends of … time. And yet here you all are," he turned to Merlin. "In glorious technicolour! I've been here before you know, didn't meet all this lot though! They thought I was you! They thought I was a magician!"

"And everyone thinks I'm a physician!" Merlin chuckled. "Well, training to be anyway! Which reminds me, I need to get back to Gaius – he'll have me scrubbing the leech tank all afternoon if I'm late again. Let's get this over with, and remember no mention of anything … _strange!_ Magic, sorcery and well, basically anything out of the ordinary is banned in Camelot. Prince Arthur is the King's son and … well that makes it dangerous … for you."

"And you … I should imagine?" Donna smirked.

Merlin shuffled awkwardly. "I'll … run ahead – let him know you're here."

"Doctor, I'm confused," Donna suddenly piped up as they crossed the cobbled courtyard towards the castle.

"Doesn't take much!" he joked.

"Thanks!" she replied sarcastically. "But the thing is Doctor, I just don't know who's real and who's not anymore! If he's Merlin, then that means that he's a magician, who can do magic and perform spells and stuff, right? I didn't even know magicians existed! And wasn't there a dragon in that legend somewhere? So, dragons are real too? Dragons _actually_ exist?"

"Oh come off it Donna! You take everything so literally! Of course magic and dragons aren't real! Blimey, you and your imagination!"

"Oi! Pack it in!" she said slapping him playfully on the arm. "You'll be saying Robin Hood's real next!"

"No! No. You're right on that one. Robin Hood's definitely not real!"

"You sure about that?"

"Oh yes. I'm definitely sure of that one. Very sure." The Doctor frowned and nodded. "Well, pretty sure anyway. Sort of. Alright look, if he _is_ real, I haven't met him yet, and if he does turn out to be real, well then, well, I'll admit I was wrong. Possibly." The Doctor cleared his throat, shoved his hands deep into his pockets and walked off towards Merlin who was making his way over to them with Prince Arthur at his side.

"Arthur," announced Merlin as they approached. "I'd like you to meet my friends - the Doctor and the Lady Donna."

"The Doctor?" Arthur enquired casting a sideways glance at Merlin.

"It means 'physician,'" explained Merlin. "It's a very honourable title, sire." He glared at Arthur. "Be nice!" he hissed.

"Of course!" replied Arthur gallantly. "I'm very pleased to meet you Doctor; my Lady. You are most welcome to Camelot." Donna blushed as the prince took her hand and lightly kissed it. She curtseyed as best as she could in her tight jeans.

"Thank you, sire," replied the Doctor trying his best to keep a straight face. "We are very honoured to be here."

The group made their way across the castle courtyard and Merlin did his best to usher them towards the training ground so that Arthur wouldn't stay too long with them. As far as he was concerned, the sooner this was over the better it would be for all of them.

"And what is your business here Doctor?" The prince asked. "Is Gaius trying to secure you a place within the royal household, to perhaps join him as court physician?"

"Oh no my lord, we're just passing through, my …"

Merlin shifted uncomfortably and tripped on a loose cobble. He cast a warning look at the Doctor.

"… my mode of transportation has … broken," the Doctor said choosing his words carefully.

"Your horse is sick?" Arthur replied.

"Um ..." The Doctor pondered this for a second. "Yeah … close enough, that'll do."

"Then you must take one of ours from the stable to help you on your journey."

"Oh, I couldn't poss … oh alright then, if you insist!" The Doctor grinned at the possibility of having another horse aboard the TARDIS. "Thank you my Lord."

Arthur stopped in his tracks and looked the pair up and down for a moment. "Tell me are you of noble blood Doctor?" he asked.

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor was confused and looked to Merlin for help. Merlin tilted his head toward him.

"I am," Donna muttered, grinning to herself.

"He wants to know if you have a title," Merlin explained quietly.

"Because if you wish to fight in the tournament next week," Arthur continued. "I'm afraid the laws of Camelot state that only those of noble blood may fight. Are you of noble blood?"

"Actually sire," the Doctor smiled. "I am!"

Donna and Merlin looked up in joint surprise.

"And, so am I, _actually_! Since you didn't ask!" Donna retorted, louder this time.

"But as I said, I'm not here to -" The Doctor stopped short and stared for a moment as Donna's words filtered into his brain. He glanced sideways at her.

"What?" Donna exclaimed, now aware that everyone was staring at her.

"- Anyway," the Doctor continued, deciding to let the comment pass. "Sir Doctor of TARDIS, at your service my Lord," he grinned, turning to Donna. "That's the first time I've ever used that!"

"Tardis?" Arthur repeated. "I've never heard of Tardis."

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," the Doctor replied, dismissing the prince. "It's a tiny little place, miles away, most of the time!"

"Is part of Cenrid's land?"

"No!" Merlin interrupted quickly, turning to the Doctor. "Because Cenrid is Camelot's enemy and that would be a bad thing. Very, very bad."

"Oh quite right!" said the Doctor. "No, this is a very small place although … surprisingly big once you get there."

Arthur gave a confused frown, but continued regardless not wanting to appear thick in front of his guests and particularly in front of Merlin.

"You are both dressed so … strangely!" he said brightly, changing the subject completely. He surveyed Donna closely for a moment. "I've never seen a woman quite like you before."

Donna's jaw dropped, mortified at the prince's remark. Merlin kicked him swiftly in the shin.

"Oww!" Arthur cried. "I mean … dressed like you, I've never seen a woman _dressed_ like you before. Very … modern. Anyway, I should go … I have training with the men this afternoon. Mustn't be late!" He turned to Merlin. "Do that again and I will stick you in the stocks for a month!" Arthur walked off towards the armoury, desperately trying to disguise his newly acquired limp.

"'Sir Doctor of TARDIS'?" Donna asked slowly.

"Oh yes!" the Doctor smiled proudly.

"… _'Sir Doctor' …_ of ' _TARDIS'"_ she snorted. _"_ Not very original is it?"

"Oi! Queen Victoria gave me that!"

"Oh stop just making stuff up!" she chided.

"She did!" he cried. "I saved her life and then she knighted me! And then she banished me from the planet. She was very fickle!"

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -

King Uther Pendragon lifted his head wearily as he sat at the large wooden dining table. His plate of food remained virtually untouched. These last few months had taken a huge toll on the king's health. The ultimate betrayal by his ward, the Lady Morgana had shattered him both mentally and physically, slowly turning him into a ruined man, a shadow of his former self. His royal tunics no longer fitted and he looked somewhat small and lost, almost child-like, within them. Most of his waking hours were spent alone in his chambers, tormenting himself with fluctuating bouts of torrid grief and anger. He was hardly capable of running the Kingdom, and Arthur being only just of age, could not do it alone. Lord Agravaine, Arthur's uncle, had offered to help where he could. The three sat together in subdued silence.

"So who are these friends you've invited to the court?" the King asked quietly.

"I met them today father," Arthur explained. "They're friends of Merlin."

"And why would I be the slightest bit interested in meeting the friends of your manservant?"

"They are travellers and I thought it would be nice to welcome them officially to Camelot. And they are of noble blood Father."

Lord Agravaine looked up from his food and leant back in his chair. "Oh really!" he asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "From where?"

Arthur drank from his wine. "A place called Tardis," he replied after a moment.

"Never heard of it!" Agravaine barked, dismissing Arthur with a wave of his hand.

King Uther smiled weakly, "But they are of noble blood you say?"

"Yes father," Arthur replied, turning his attention back to the king. "Although, I must say, they are very different from us. But, there's just something about them. They seem … very interesting."

"In what way?" Uther asked suspiciously.

"Difficult to say! From what Merlin has told me, they seem to have a vast amount of knowledge and experiences of things and places far away from Camelot." Arthur paused for a moment. "I thought that they might be able to help us in the search for the Lady Morgana."

"I fail to see how!" Agravaine interrupted. "I mean, the Lady Morgana would be far from here by now and besides, we have the guards searching for her and her accomplice, the Lady Morgause as we speak. However, I do agree that these … outsiders … may be of interest to us. Perhaps we should see them in the court my Lord, if only to assess the risk for ourselves."

Arthur's eyes widened. "No, my lord, you misunderstand me!" he said desperately. "I simply meant that it could prove to our advantage to befriend them. I don't believe they pose any risk to Camelot at all!"

"I agree," replied Uther, "with Lord Agravaine. Summon them to the court. I will meet with them and decide for myself, but tomorrow perhaps. For now I grow weary. I must return to my chambers."

Lord Agravaine and Arthur stood as the king departed. Agravaine, turning his attention back to Arthur, smiled slowly and raised his glass.

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Merlin had given her the good news earlier that morning and Donna still couldn't quite believe it.

"I can't believe it!" she squealed again. " _The King_ wants to see _us!_ Me, a temp from Chiswick! _He_ wants to see _me!_ I can't believe it!" Donna stood perched on the small wooden box and looked around her. Gwen's home was small and basic, but very cosy and Donna had felt instantly at home.

Gwen was one of Merlin's closest friends and, as it happened, also an accomplished seamstress. So when Merlin had asked for her help in furnishing Donna with a beautiful dress for the occasion she had agreed only too gladly. Gwen had been the maid to the Lady Morgana before her untimely disappearance from Camelot. Now she was a general servant to the royal household but had somehow managed to acquire one of her mistress' old gowns.

Donna held out her arms and fidgeted excitedly as Gwen altered the seams on the sleeves of the long blue dress that she had given her.

"Oh thanks for helping me out Gwen! I couldn't very well go and see the King dressed in my jeans, could I!"

"No problem Donna!" smiled Gwen, sewing the last cuff. "Anything for a friend of Merlin's. I could braid your hair for you too if you like? You'll look like a real princess!"

"Can you make mine look like yours? Yours is lovely!"

"Thank you!" Gwen blushed.

"I bet all the boys fall for you eh?" Donna smiled. "You must be fighting them off with a stick!"

Gwen blushed even deeper, but her head dropped slightly and a thin veil of sadness entered her eyes. She lowered herself to her knees and concentrated on a small piece of hem-line.

"Sorry," Donna said slowly. "Have I said something wrong?"

"No! Not at all!" Gwen said cheerily. She stood and straightened the dress to the floor and checked the back seams of the dress once more. She noticed Donna still looking at her. "Well, it's just that there is this one man that I like."

"Oooh go on! Tell me more!" Donna teased, stepping down from the box. She followed Gwen's lead and sat at the table. Gwen moved behind her and began softly brushing Donna's hair, parting it carefully into sections before interlacing it with delicate, coloured ribbons.

"But it can't go anywhere, he's … and I'm just a servant. It's just not done."

"Oh don't say that! Don't ever say that. No-one's too good for you Gwen, no-one! You can date whoever you want."

Gwen weaved Donna's hair tighter and secured the end with a long piece of deep blue ribbon to match the colour of the dress. "Not this one!" she continued. "And besides, I'm not sure how interested in me he is anyway."

"Oh, well, you know what they say, 'plenty more fish in the sea!'"

"I know," Gwen laughed. "It's like my dad always says 'Guinevere, you don't want to go throwing yourself at the first man who -'"

"- Hang on," Donna interrupted. "… Guinevere? Did you say Gwen-a-veer?"

"Guinevere. Yes, why?"

"Oh. No, nothing." Donna paused for a moment, but was unable to get the notion out of her mind. "Guinevere … Is that a … popular name around here?"

"Erm no, no I don't think so. I'm the only one!" Gwen's brow furrowed with curiosity. "Why do you ask?"

"So that means … _No way!"_ Donna exclaimed, turning to face Gwen. "… Oh my God! You're Guinevere … _the_ Guinevere. As in King Arthur's Guinevere!"

"Well," replied Gwen shocked. "I don't know about that!"

 _"Oh this place is mad!"_ Donna laughed.

Mystified by her new friend's outburst, Gwen smiled and stood back to survey her handiwork. "There!" she announced proudly. "Fit for a queen!"

"You should know!" Donna laughed.

"What?"

"… Nothing!"

\- 0 - 0 - 0 - 

The Doctor smiled to himself as he saw the familiar shape of his TARDIS standing tall amongst the trees. A twig snapped somewhere close by and he thought he heard the rustling of fallen leaves. The Doctor turned, but the forest was quiet, except for a couple of startled rabbits darting for the safety of their burrow at the base of a nearby tree. He stood silently for a moment or two before withdrawing the TARDIS key from his pocket and making his way over to the doors.

Once inside, the Doctor opened the second of the two front doors, wedging it open with the nearby hat stand, thereby letting in as much light as he could get. The interior of the ship remained dark and as silent as the grave. He listened closely for the low hum of the recharging power cells, but heard nothing. His heart sank at the eerie silence, he hated seeing the TARDIS like this, broken and lost. There was also the fear of being irrevocably trapped … what if she really was beyond repair this time?

He sighed heavily and, throwing his coat over the nearby coral pillar, the Doctor set about removing the section of the metal grating from the flooring which housed the maintenance equipment. Not that he knew what to do with the majority of it of course, but after 900 years of travelling in the old crate, he had made up his own uses for them.

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Shafts of soft afternoon sunlight filtered through the large stained glass windows of the castle's council chambers, spilling an air of warmth and tranquillity onto the cold, stone floors. Members of the royal household began taking their places, filling either sides of the large hall. Merlin shuffled in front of a tall stone column as he was joined by Gaius and Gwen.

"I'm still not sure why the King is so interested in meeting the Doctor and Donna," Merlin said, turning to Gaius. "Let alone inviting them to an audience in front of the entire court."

"Hmmm," he replied quietly. "You'd better hope that it's just because the King is feeling friendly and wishes nothing more than to welcome them to Camelot. Otherwise, well, I dread to think."

They looked up as the King's knights filed ceremoniously into the chambers, shining swords at their sides and red cloaks billowing behind them. Silently, they took their positions in front of the other members of the royal household, forming a formidable band of red and gold along the central aisle.

Suddenly, King Uther Pendragon burst through the doors, closely followed by his son Prince Arthur, and Lord Agravaine. The congregation bowed their heads respectfully as they passed and made their way to the head of the chambers.

Outside in the corridor, the Doctor, who had refused to dress up for the occasion, straightened his coat collar and extended his elbow.

"My lady," he smiled.

Donna, desperately trying to keep her lunch inside her stomach, took hold of it gladly as they began to make their way slowly down the grand central aisle. She gasped slightly as the sight of King Uther sitting majestically on his throne, took her breath away. She looked around her at the crowd of people gathered in the room, all here to see her and the Doctor meet the King! Oh, she couldn't wait to tell Granddad about this!

Just then, her attention was drawn to the impressive line of the King's knights. Actually, her attention was drawn to one knight in particular, one knight who was grinning idiotically at her. As he caught her eye he bowed slightly and winked at her, still grinning. Donna, on seeing Sir Gwaine in full uniform for the first time, blushed deeply and had to admit that she found him quite dashing. She bowed her head bashfully and tried to hide her smile.

"Well done on the dress Gwen!" Merlin whispered quietly. "She looks lovely!"

Gwen beamed with pride as she watched the Doctor and Donna make their way up the aisle followed, a little too closely perhaps, by the King's guards.

Without warning the immense wooden doors of the council chambers suddenly slammed shut after them, causing Donna to almost lose her footing. The Doctor glanced behind him, just as the large wooden bolt was rammed into place.

"Donna," he whispered. "I don't want you to panic but – I don't think we're here for tea and cake."

"Seize them!" The King barked loudly, his cold, stern voice echoing around the imposing stone archways and high ceiling.

"What?" The Doctor cried as he and Donna were grabbed from either side by two monstrously sized knights and thrust to their knees before the king. "What are you doing?"

"Father!" Arthur cried.

"Oh no!" Merlin's jaw tightened nervously as he watched the Doctor and Donna kneeling before the King, flanked closely on either side by members of the royal guard. An icy cold feeling of dread crept through his chest.

"I am sorry Arthur," the King continued. "But new information has come to light regarding your new … friends."

"What new information, sire?" Arthur asked suspiciously, glancing at Lord Agravaine standing by the King's side.

The King turned his attention. "Sir Doctor, if that is even your real name, you along with the Lady Donna, have been arrested and brought here in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Camelot. Two nights previously you were overheard discussing matters of 'time travel' and other fascinations of a fantastical nature."

"What?" The Doctor and Arthur exclaimed in unison.

"I am sorry Arthur," Lord Agravaine explained, butting in. "I was just as surprised as you, you must believe me! But, on questioning, the landlord was quite clear in what he heard."

"The landlord? What landlord?" asked Arthur, puzzled at the sudden new direction the afternoon had taken.

"The landlord of the local tavern," Agravaine replied simply.

"Seize him and search him!" the King ordered. At once, the guards snatched the Doctor's arms and began manhandling him roughly, removing his coat and searching his shirt and trousers.

" _Leave him alone!_ " Donna yelled as panic rose in her chest.

"Restrain her!" the King instructed with a simple wave of his hand.

"This is nothing to do with her!" The Doctor begged, continuing to struggle with his captors. "Let her go! _Please!_ "

"My Lord," said Lord Agravaine stepping forward. "There is also the other matter of the blue box."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Agravaine!" replied the King irately. "I was coming to that. You also own a large blue box which, I can only say, defies the laws of the world, in that the inside is somehow bigger than the outside."

"I don't know what you mean!" shouted the Doctor. "That's impossible surely!"

"There's no point in denying it Doctor," interrupted Agravaine smiling. "I saw it with my own eyes, in the forest."

Merlin shuffled anxiously, experiencing an overwhelming urge to do something … _but what?_ Gaius, sensing his unease, covertly placed his hand on Merlin's arm, warning him to remain motionless for fear of alerting the King's attention toward him.

"It is all quite impossible of course!" the King stated matter-of-factly. "Which leads me to the only possible conclusion, that it was some kind of enchantment. I put it you that you are not simple travellers, as you claim, but are in fact sorcerers and practisers of magic."

"What? I'm not a sorcerer!" the Doctor pleaded. "We're just travellers, that's all I swear!"

However, the King was in no mood to listen and turned to his son. "Arthur, have your men search their rooms at the tavern and the blue box. Leave no item untouched."

"Sire," the Prince bowed his head in acknowledgement, shooting a dark, angry glare at Merlin who was stood nearby.

"Look – just give us a few days," the Doctor pleaded. "And we'll be gone, I promise, no harm done eh?"

Suddenly, the guard who was busy rifling his way through the Doctor's inside coat pockets, came across something strange. He ran the blue and silver, cylindrical device through his hands for a moment, before holding it out to the King.

"My Lord!" His gruff voice rang out as he stepped forward.

"Arrrgh, that's not sorcery!" The Doctor groaned angrily. "It's just a piece of technology! Just because you don't understand something, doesn't make it magic!"

However, the King's face grew solemn as he rose slowly from his seat. "Sir Doctor, you have been found in possession of magical artefacts, thereby proving beyond all doubt your involvement with sorcery and the dark arts. I am aware that you and your accomplice are not citizens of these lands and that you are simple visitors here. However, I am sure that you are aware that sorcery and magic are outlawed in this kingdom and have been for many years. Therefore ignorance is no excuse. Sorcery will not be tolerated under _any_ circumstances. Therefore I have no option but to punish you according to the laws of Camelot. I hereby sentence you both to death."

"- What?" Donna screamed, struggling violently against her captors.

The congregation let out an audible gasp as the sentence was passed and began muttering amongst themselves.

"You will be burnt at the stake at dawn tomorrow. Take them away to the cells." The King resumed his seat at the head of the great hall.

"No!" Merlin gasped under his breath. Gaius saw the blood drain from Merlin's face and gently took hold of his hand, partially to steady him but partly to keep him from running forward to his friends' defence. Merlin swallowed hard, attempting unsuccessfully to maintain his composure. He blinked as a hot tear fell down his cheek. Gaius could feel his hand trembling in his and squeezed it tightly.

"But you can't!" The Doctor protested. "You can't!"

The King's face darkened. " _How dare you question me in my own court!"_ He bellowed, immediately rocketing to his feet in an effort to show off his authority. But the Doctor was also angry.

"Why not?" he screamed in reply. "You're going to have us killed anyway!"

"This is utterly inexcusable! Take them away! _NOW!_ "

The guards dragged the prisoners backwards down the aisle and out through chamber doors, their violent protests echoing down the stone corridors leading towards the cells.

"I may be just a temp … from Chiswick!" Donna's voice resounded. "But I'm warning you! _Get your 'ands off me right now or I'll knock you right through to next week! Stop it! DOCTOR!"_

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Arthur bowed courteously to his father and left to escort the prisoners to the castle dungeons. Once out of the sight of the King, Merlin caught up with Arthur, grabbing angrily at his sleeve.

"How could you do that?" he shouted furiously at Arthur. _"They are my friends!"_

"What else could I have done?" Arthur yelled, stopping and freeing his arm from Merlin's grasp. "Did you know anything about this, this 'blue box'?"

Merlin did not answer.

"How could you do that to me?" The prince continued. "How could you embarrass me like that in front of the _entire_ royal court!"

"They haven't done anything wrong!" Merlin pleaded. "And they are _not_ sorcerers!"

"This was not my decision Merlin!" Arthur shouted.

 _"But you could have stopped them!"_ Merlin screamed, grabbing hold of Arthur's arm once again.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled losing his temper. "May I remind you _exactly_ who you are addressing! You _will_ show me some respect!"

Merlin's emotions caught in his throat. True, Arthur could be a right royal pain in the backside sometimes, but most of the time, they got on quite well. They were almost … friends, if that were truly possible between a future king and his servant. So, he hated it when they fought like this. He swallowed hard as he looked Arthur in the eye and saw his face soften slightly.

"How, could I have stopped them, exactly?" Arthur said calmly. "You would have me defy my father in front of the court?"

Merlin stayed silent for a moment, knowing that he was reprimanding Arthur when he knew deep down that the King was the one to blame.

"I know them," he said eventually. "And they are not sorcerers, or magicians, or Druids, they are just … different. That's all, they're just different. Do we execute people now just because they're different? Because if so, then you may as well kill me too."

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -

"A very good show if I might say so Sire," stated Lord Agravaine, taking a seat beside the king at the large table in the ante chambers. "It is important, I feel, to assure the people of Camelot that although we live in troubled times, the standards of the Kingdom will not be relinquished and as such, any act of sorcery, or indeed any form of law-breaking will not be tolerated."

"Indeed," replied the King, rubbing his temples.

"I'm sorry. You are tired my lord, you must rest."

"Yes, thank you Agravaine," Uther sighed. "And whilst I am in your debt for coming to Camelot in its hour of need, may I remind you that you are here only to assist in matters of court whilst I am … unwell. Your main purpose here is to advise Arthur when I am not able to. Today, as you can see, I am quite well." The King looked up and motioned to Gaius, who was standing silently in the archway. "Gaius, please, be seated. Join us."

Gaius bowed. "Thank you Sire," he said, taking the seat opposite the King.

"Tell me Gaius, what is this?" The King asked, passing him the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. Gaius, took the instrument and examined it cautiously for a few moments.

"I don't know Sire," he replied eventually. "It looks like some sort of instrument, but as to its purpose, I'm afraid I can't tell you."

"Have you ever seen anything like it before?"

"No, my lord, I have not, but it is most interesting." Gaius looked up to face the King. "I should like to examine it more closely, in my chambers, if I may?"

"Why?" The King asked frowning uncertainly. "It is obviously a weapon of magic. It should be secured in the vaults where no more harm can come from it."

"Please Sire, if I may?"

The King paused for a moment. "Very well," he replied reluctantly, "but I am trusting you not to let it out of your sight Gaius, or I will hold you personally responsible."

Gaius examined the sonic screwdriver more closely, turning it over in his hands. He was curious about the small projection on the side of the handle. He glanced up at the King, on seeing him preoccupied with other matters, Gaius pressed it. The end of the device glowed bright turquoise and filled the room with an unearthly buzzing sound that startled both the King and Gaius, causing him to momentarily lose sight of where the screwdriver was pointed.

There was a loud creak from above them. On following the sound, Gaius' face fell in horror as a great crack appeared in the ceiling above them. The large crystal chandelier swayed dangerously back and forth, covering Gaius in a shower of dust.

"Oh …" muttered Gaius. "Sire, I'm so sorry!" He looked above him and sighed with relief. "At least the chande -"

The chandelier suddenly plunged heavily from the ceiling, crashing noisily onto the table directly in front of them, only narrowly missing the King's head.

Gaius froze in his seat as the King, splattered with plaster and debris, glared darkly at him.

"Sorry, Sire."

\- 0 - 0 - 0 -


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

"Oh! I get it!" The Doctor chuckled suddenly. " _Noble_ blood! Oh very good!"

Donna, lifted her head from the cold damp stone wall. "Dumbo!" she muttered, rolling her eyes. Pulling herself up, she hugged her knees and tried to get warm in the freezing cell. She began collecting handfuls of straw from the floor and packed them over and around her feet.

"What are you doing?" asked the Doctor, looking over from the window ledge on which he had perched himself.

"I'm cold!" she replied huffily. "I'm trying to keep in body heat."

"We're in a prison cell Donna, not the Arctic!"

"Wish I'd kept my jeans on now!" she mumbled pulling awkwardly at the beautiful gown that Gwen had lent her only hours before. Donna looked around her at the dark and dismal cell with its small solitary window to the outside and the large wooden door. "The funny thing is, I always thought I'd end up dying of old age surrounded by cats or something, not stuck in a prison cell in ancient England … in Camelot of all places!" She paused for a moment. "What I don't get though is, _according to the legend_ , Merlin was a wizard, right?"

"Supposedly, yeah," the Doctor replied, turning from the window.

"So, how come we're stuck in here, _not_ wizards but about to be burned at the stake for sorcery, when he _is_ a wizard and he's out there quite happily working for Prince Arthur?"

"Oh come on Donna, I told you - you don't want to believe everything you read! Merlin wasn't really a magician!" The Doctor jumped down from the ledge and began stretching his long legs before making his way over to his companion. He removed his coat and placed it gently around her shoulders. "You heard him," the Doctor continued, sitting down next to her on the floor. "He's studying to be a physician, in this day and age magic and medicine are almost one and the same thing!"

"So, he's not a wizard then?"

"Course he's not! That's all just part of the myth. Something to make the stories more interesting than just a king trying to reunite five kingdoms. Magic? Sorry, don't believe in it."

Donna smiled weakly. "Yeah, but I didn't believe in time travel until I met you," she said nudging him gently.

"Donna, there's no such thing as magic, trust me. Now -" said the Doctor springing suddenly to his feet again. "- We've got to figure a way out of this," he turned back to Donna. "''Cos otherwise, come dawn, you're going to be anything but cold!"

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me!" she replied sarcastically.

The Doctor shoved his hands deep into his pockets and wandered back to the cell window. He stared out deep into the night sky, wracking his brains for a solution. If only he had his sonic screwdriver, at least he could try and sonic the locks open, or bend the window bars or _something!_ If only he had a working TARDIS, well … _well then they wouldn't be in this mess in the first place,_ the Doctor chuckled quietly to himself.

The moon was almost full and cast strong shadows within the cell, but in the distance dark, heavy clouds were gathering and heading towards Camelot. The Doctor could smell the threat of thunder in the air. He looked up again at the clouds. They were travelling fast, _really_ fast! In fact they were moving unnaturally fast. As he watched, he could see powerful lightning forks emanating from the cloud base. Then, a strange electrical storm seemed to discharge itself across the whole sky, momentarily displaying a geometrically perfect hexagonal pattern across the heavens above Camelot.

"What?" The Doctor frowned. Putting on his glasses he examined the sky closer, his brow furrowed further. _"What?"_

Dazzling splinters of forked lightning illuminated the skies once more but the grid-like pattern was gone. In its place was a multitude of small dragon-like creatures descending rapidly from the skies.

"Now, I'm not completely up to speed on Arthurian legends," the Doctor said slowly. "But I'm pretty sure that never happened!"

 _"Oh my God!"_ Donna exclaimed rushing to his side. "Doctor, what's happening?"

From close by, a deep resounding chiming began to fill the night as Camelot's great bell began warning the townsfolk of the impending danger.

"I dunno, but we've got to get out of here!" The Doctor ran to the cell door, "Guards! Guards!" he yelled. But there was no reply. Straining to see through the bars, the Doctor saw the corridor outside deserted. "Let us out of here! _Guards!"_

Panic began erupting within the lower town and desperate screams filtered in through the open windows. Lightning lit up the sky once more as the strange creatures flocked above the city.

 _"Oi!"_ Donna screamed, joining the Doctor at the door only to see two guards running for their lives, passing the cell but not stopping for a second. Donna grabbed hold of the bars and shook them furiously. "Oi you! Don't go!" she pleaded. "You can't just leave us here! _What sort of people are you?"_

"We can help …" the Doctor called desperately. " _Please! … Just let us out!"_

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

Uther Pendragon hurried to the grand window of the Great Hall, accidentally upsetting his wine goblet as he stood.

"This is no ordinary thunderstorm! What kind of sorcery is this?" he cried pointing hopelessly, as the strange light spread its way across the night sky. "I've never seen anything like this in my life!"

Lord Agravaine also stood from the table. "Do you think it could be the work of the Doctor, Sire?" he said urgently. "It has to be. He _must_ be the one responsible."

The King turned to his son as he also joined them at the castle window. "You cannot deny his involvement now Arthur surely?"

"Well, we can't say for sure it's him Sire."

"Really? You have the evidence in front of your very eyes and yet you still choose to deny it. No, no this is the work of the Doctor. It is his revenge for his punishment."

"You have to admit Arthur," Agravaine interjected. "That does seem the most logical conclusion do you not agree?"

"Logical? No Uncle, I do not! I think it is just a thunderstorm … just a very bad thunderstorm …"

With that, the strange hexagonal pattern ignited and zigzagged its way across the night sky. Arthur's jaw dropped.

"There!" The King exclaimed. "And that! Can you explain that?"

"No Sire," Arthur replied reluctantly. "No, I cannot." Inside the prince was cursing Merlin like there was no tomorrow, so much so that it would have made his hair curl had he been within earshot. _'I'll have Merlin's head for this myself!'_ he thought viciously. _'That is absolutely the last time that I ever trust the word of a servant!'_

The King's eyes widened in horror as hundreds upon hundreds of small dragon-like creatures with large grey wings, breathing fire and brimstone began descending in their hoards from the sky.

"What on earth -?"

"We're under attack!" Arthur shouted, making immediately for the door. "I'll summon the guard My Lord!" The prince grabbed his sword and ran towards to the armoury, urgently summoning the rest of the knights as he went.

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

"Doctor? Donna?" The voice echoed along the empty stone corridor. "Where are you?"

The Doctor rushed to the cell door. "Down here!" he called out, waving his hand through the metal grating. He heard footsteps drawing closer to the cell, accompanied by the bobbing glow from a burning torch.

"Merlin!" The Doctor cried as the familiar face appeared at the bars. "Blimey, am I glad to see you! What's going on? What's happening?"

"The city's under attack!" Merlin stood back from the door and held his outstretched hand over the lock. _"Onluce the!"_ he said quietly.

The Doctor's jaw dropped as Merlin's eyes suddenly flashed from their natural blue to fleetingly burn a surreal bright orange, and the lock on the cell door clanked and seemingly unlocked itself.

"What … What was that?" the Doctor stuttered, pointing as the heavy wooden door swung effortlessly to one side.

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "What was what?" he asked innocently.

 _"That!"_ the Doctor cried pointing at the broken lock, his mouth gaping like a goldfish out of water. "But …"

"Don't know what you're talking about!" Merlin smiled. "Come on! We have to go!"

"… But …"

"Oi," Donna whispered, tugging on the Doctor's sleeve. "No such thing as magic you said!"

"… But …"

"Come on!" Merlin repeated urgently. "Take this," he handed a speechless Doctor the flaming torch. "Follow the corridor and take the staircase. I'll catch you up."

Merlin turned back towards the empty cell. Slowly, he raised his right hand and concentrated on the wall surrounding the now open doorway.

 _"Astrice forbaernan!"_ Again, Merlin's eyes flashed momentarily and the wall surrounding the door suddenly blasted across the room. A wall of fire erupted in front of him engulfing the entire room in flames. Merlin smiled at his handiwork, surely enough to convince any guard that the cell had been damaged in the attack on the castle thereby killing its prisoners. Turning, he ran along the corridor and made his way up the stone stairwell.

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

Donna puffed and panted as they climbed the staircase and emerged from the castle dungeons. She heard urgent footsteps approaching them and guessed that Merlin wasn't far behind them. On reaching the top of the stairs they were faced with a long corridor leading from left to right. The Doctor stopped suddenly in his tracks, not knowing which way to go. Donna having turned to check on Merlin, ran straight into the back of him, pushing him up the last step and out into the corridor.

"Well? Which way now?" Donna gasped, taking the opportunity to catch her breath.

A small group of people dressed in servant's clothing and carrying piles of sheets and blankets ran passed them, almost knocking them back down the staircase.

"That way, by the looks of it," said the Doctor breaking into a run. "Follow them!"

As they disappeared along the passageway, Merlin emerged on the top step. "Doctor!"" he called out. "This way!"

"Or maybe not!" puffed the Doctor, turning on his heels. "What is it?" he shouted to Merlin as they caught up with him and exited the castle into the main square. "What's happening?"

Merlin looked about him, ducking fiercely as one of the dragon-like creatures flew straight at him. "Wyverns - they're attacking the city. Quick! This way!"

"What?" The Doctor yelled above the noise. "Wyvern? What are -?"

"Brother-race to the dragons," Merlin replied as he darted into a deserted shack. He pulled the Doctor and Donna in after him and closed the door.

"Dragons! But Doctor, you said dragons didn't exist!" Donna said, confused.

"Aaargh, I know! I know! … None of this is making any sense!" The Doctor turned to Merlin who was crouched by the small window. "Merlin, about what happened back there in the cell – with the eyes and the ... chanting – what was that? _What did you do?"_

"Oh that!" Merlin replied, peering through the window out into the street. "That was nothing." He smiled sideways at the Doctor who, by now, was having a hard time believing anything that he saw in front of him, which was something of a novelty for him to say the least.

" _That_ was not nothing!" the Doctor exclaimed. "That was … that … that was not possible! I don't understand - _magic isn't real!_ It's all just part of the myth! Magic doesn't exist!"

Merlin turned to face him. "Just because you don't understand something Doctor, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

"Oh I like you!" Donna laughed, at last seeing the Doctor getting some his own medicine. How many times had he said those words to her!

"I was born like this!"

"But -" the Doctor stammered.

"Please Doctor! You can't tell anyone about …" Merlin stopped as the Doctor raised his eyebrows at him and smirked, "… about what it was that I _didn't_ just do. If anyone found out about it …"

The Doctor patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." The Doctor frowned and examined Merlin's face in detail. "Tell me Merlin, have we met before?"

"No, no I don't think so. Why do you ask?" Merlin squirmed slightly as the Doctor came closer.

"Are you sure? It's just I can't help thinking that you look … familiar."

"No, I've just got one of those faces!" Merlin smiled widely.

"Yes," sighed the Doctor. "Yes you have!"

"Hang on!" exclaimed Merlin. "If they're Wyvern, I have an idea!"

Merlin ran for the door and after opening it ajar to check the immediate vicinity, he made his way out into the street. He held his neck scarf to his face as the smoke from burning buildings further up the street caught in his lungs. Terrified townsfolk bumped and crashed into him as they ran for their lives although not knowing in which direction to run.

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

The flames licked at the wooden houses and lit up the streets of the lower town like molten lava. The villagers ran blindly filled with panic and fear as the reign of terror continued against them from the creatures in the sky. Women screamed as they tried to gather their children to them and protect them from the flames. They ran through the streets making their way to the citadel to find safety amongst the castle walls. The men of the town helplessly threw pails of water onto the burning embers of their homes, trying desperately to salvage whatever they could.

The king's knights, dressed in polished silver armour and with their swords drawn at the ready, gathered in the main square of the citadel. Prince Arthur sat proudly upon his horse as he prepared to address them. Ordinarily, before riding into battle Arthur would have given a rousing speech to rally the knights' spirits and spur them into action, tonight however there was no time, the battle had already begun. He surveyed the men in front of him, knowing that each and every one would gladly give their life for their king.

"Camelot is under attack!" Prince Arthur shouted. "We have a duty to protect the people; direct as many of them as you can here, into the grounds of the citadel where they will be safe. These are creatures of magic and will stop at nothing. All we can do is fight, and kill as many of them as we can, as quickly as we can."

"But how Sire?" asked Sir Elyan, from the front rank. "How are we to kill them?"

"Whatever way we can," Arthur replied gravely, knowing no other answer. The prince drew his sword and wielded it gallantly at his chest. _"For the love of Camelot!"_

 _"For the love of Camelot!"_ the Knights cried in unison.

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

"What the hell _are_ those things?" The Doctor yelled following Merlin as he headed towards the fields behind the houses of the lower town.

"They're Wyvern …" Merlin panted. "Brother-race to the dragons. Which means … I have a plan!" Merlin stopped and faced up at the creatures. He took a deep breath and called out at the top of his voice in an unfamiliar language that the Doctor had never heard before.

 _"Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai."_

But the creatures, on the whole, paid him no notice. A couple, their attention momentarily drawn by the shouting, flew down and bellowed fire straight at him. On seeing the flames racing towards him, Merlin raised his hands and an invisible shield instantly formed above him, protecting him from the heat of the fire. He stood and again summoned the Wyvern.

 _"Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai."_

But again, the creatures ignored him and continued their onslaught.

"Why don't they listen?" Merlin shouted in frustration. "Why aren't they listening to me?"

"Maybe they don't understand you," Donna replied.

Merlin grinned testily. "Oh they understand me, at least they're supposed to!" He turned back to the creatures. "They are supposed to _obey_ me!" he yelled angrily.

"Why should they obey _you_?" asked the Doctor. "After all, who are you to them?"

"I am a Dragon Lord," Merlin replied.

"Ha!" Donna chuckled. "Dragon Lord meets Time Lord! Blimey, the testosterone around here is off the scale!"

But Merlin didn't see the funny side and was becoming angry. He couldn't understand why the creatures weren't listening to him. He was a Dragon Lord, they were destined to obey him; they had no choice. It was in their nature. It made him uneasy and he didn't know what else to do. He needed help.

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

As Merlin, the Doctor and Donna arrived back at the citadel, they were met by a scene of complete devastation. Large parts of the castle burned fiercely and the main square was filled with confusion and chaos as the townspeople gathered in search of safety only to find the castle itself now under attack.

Merlin and the others ran into the castle, following the main corridor into the large banqueting hall. Donna reeled and her feet faltered as she came face to face with a room full with the dead, the injured and the dying; their wailing and sobbing filling the air along with the stench of blood and burning flesh. Merlin instructed them to try and stay out of sight for although all hell may have broken loose, the fact remained that the Doctor and Donna were escaped prisoners, still under the sentence of death.

"Quick! Over here ..." Merlin heard Gaius' voice amongst the din. "Hold that. Gwen – I need more bandages and hot water, as much as you can! Quickly please!"

"Gaius!" cried Merlin, running over to him.

"Merlin!" Gaius grabbed hold of the boy and hugged him tightly. "There you are my boy! Thank goodness you're alright. I was looking everywhere for you! I thought you were with Arthur?"

"Oh my god!" Merlin's heart suddenly filled with icy terror. "Arthur! Is he alright? Where is he?"

"Well he's out with the other knights fighting the creatures of course! I thought you'd gone with them. Oh but thank goodness you're safe."

"I'm sorry. Gaius, I don't know what to do!" Merlin lowered his voice so as not to be overheard. "The Wyvern won't listen to me, I can't control them. I think they may be affected by an enchantment, by magic. Something isn't right! Could Morgana have done this?"

"I don't know Merlin," Gaius replied, continuing to bandage a badly burnt head. "It could well be. Whatever the cause, we can only do what we can do."

Merlin's mind spun, Arthur needed him but he had no idea of where to find him. How could he have abandoned the prince when he had needed him the most? But what could he do now? Suddenly an idea struck him. There was one other who could help them, but they would need to be away from here and out into the fields, way beyond the castle where they would not be seen. And for that, they would need horses.

"I have to go," Merlin said suddenly.

"Where are you going?" asked Gaius, the concern showing on his face.

"To find the only one I know who can help us," Merlin called out as he ran for the door. "Come on," he said, impatiently grabbing at the Doctor's sleeve. "We have to go!"

"Merlin," Gaius followed after him and took hold of his hand tightly. "Be careful."

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

An ear-splitting crack resounded around the stone courtyard like lightning splitting the air. Merlin followed the sound, his face falling in horror.

"The upper south wing!" he heard someone yell from the other side of the square, as they pointed to the far side of the citadel. "It's falling!"

"God save them!" one of the guards muttered as he stood next to Merlin. "Quickly," he called out to another member of the guard. "We must check on the safety of the King!"

A deafening, crumbling landslide commenced as the entire south side of the castle began to disintegrate, sending clouds of dust and debris high into the air.

"Doctor! This isn't right!" screamed Donna. "All those people are dying! There must be something we can do?"

"There isn't!" replied the Doctor horrified at the terrible scenes playing out before him. "I'm sorry Donna. This was never meant to happen!"

"Remember Pompeii Doctor! You saved some of them, can't you do the same again now? Please?" she begged.

"Donna I'm sorry!" the Doctor cried exasperated. "I can't! There are flux and fixed points in history. Some can be changed, some can't. Besides, even if I could, what could I do without the TARDIS? We're part of a fixed point now. I'm sorry!"

The sound of approaching horses caught Merlin's attention. A small band of knights, led by the noble Sir Leon were returning fresh from fighting out by the town borders. The horses trotted into the courtyard and came to halt by the fountains. The knights began to dismount, urgently debriefing each other as to how many of the creatures each had slain.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried out. He searched frantically among the knights but could not see Arthur among them. "Where's Arthur?" Merlin fought his way anxiously through the horses and the gathering stable hands. "Where's Arthur?" He called out desperately.

"I'm sorry Merlin," Sir Leon replied, jumping from his horse. Merlin turned and ran over to his friend. "We were fighting on the outer borders of the city when we were overpowered by the creatures. Arthur was wounded in the forest and we became separated -"

"- You've lost him?"

"Rest assured Merlin, we will find him!" he said, passing his horse's reigns to his stable hand.

 _"How could you have lost him?"_ Merlin yelled angrily. _"He is your future king!"_

"Merlin!" Sir Leon replied sternly. "The second watch is still out searching and the other knights and I will resume our search at first light -"

"- But -"

"The night is upon us Merlin and there is much to do here. Prince Arthur is the King's son, and our friend, I promise you we _will_ find him Merlin." Sir Leon patted him on the back before turning his attention back to the remaining knights. "Re-arm and have the horses fed and watered. Be ready to ride out again at first light, in one hour."

Merlin stumbled. _How could he have let this happen?_ He looked about him urgently, his mind in a quandary. On the one hand he had to find Arthur and save him. On the other, he need to find some way of defeating the Wyvern. Then, for the second time that night, Merlin had a brainwave! A plan that could kill two birds with one stone.

 _"Doctor!"_ he yelled out, motioning for them to join him. "Quickly! Arthur is missing! He's been wounded out in the forest, we need to find him. We have to save him!"

"But what about this lot?" shrieked the Doctor, pointing to the Wyvern still wreaking chaos and havoc in the skies above them.

"There's somebody that can help us with both – but we need to find him. Come on! Donna – stay here and help Gaius."

"Not a chance!" she retorted. "I'm staying with the Doctor, I know where I'm better off thanks!"

"Merlin's right, this could be dangerous," the Doctor reasoned, taking her by the shoulders. "I'll be straight back -"

"No more dangerous than staying here and getting burnt at the stake! Now zippit!" Donna interrupted, standing her ground. "I'm staying with you!"

"Fair point!" Merlin said smiling. "Come on, we'll need horses if we're going to get there in time. The stables are this way!"

News travelled fast in Camelot and especially so in times of war. Guinevere, on hearing the news of Arthur's misfortune, ran through the chaos of the castle courtyard, desperately trying to find Merlin amongst the frenzied crowds of knights, townsfolk and horses. Finally she saw him as he entered the stable yard.

"Merlin!" she called out, racing up to him. "Arthur's missing! _Arthur's missing!"_

"I know, I know!" Merlin said resting his hand gently over hers, trying his best to calm her. "We're going to find him. Try not to worry. You know me Gwen, I will find him."

Gwen smiled weakly her tears beginning to show. "Please find him," she pleaded. "… Please Merlin, find him!"

"I'll do my best Gwen, I promise."

Merlin and the Doctor mounted their horses and trotted out into the courtyard, and found Gaius rushing down the steps towards them.

"Doctor!" he called out. "Here – I thought you might be needing this." Gaius passed him the Sonic Screwdriver that he had recovered from the King.

"My screwdriver!" the Doctor smiled. "Thank you!" He turned the device over in his hands, thankful to have it back in his possession.

"Good luck Doctor."

"You too Gaius."

Donna, meanwhile, stared up at the massive black horse standing in front of her in the stable. She had never been a very good rider. In fact, Donna Noble had never ridden a horse before at all, and truth be told, she had no particular inclination to start now either, but needs must.

 _"How hard can it be?"_ she shrugged. Taking hold of the reigns Donna tried to figure out how to get up into the saddle. She put her foot cautiously into the one of the stirrups and did a little awkward jump. The horse whinnied and stumbled as Donna's foot slipped and she landed clumsily in the straw beside him. The beast turned his head and eyed her suspiciously.

"Don't you dare!" she warned. The horse continued to watch her for a moment or two before returning to his supper. Donna awkwardly picked herself up from the stable floor and brushed her dress down with her hands. "Horses. Dragons. Wizards … What did I ever do?"

Sir Gwaine couldn't help but smile as he watched the spectacle from the stable doorway. A woman of such confidence and beauty, and yet, there seemed to be a complete lack of grace about her. Nevertheless, he was completely mesmerised by her. He had never met anyone like her in all his days. He cleared his throat gently, not wanting to startle her more than the horse already had.

"May I be of some assistance my lady?" he asked.

Donna spun around, unaware that anyone had been watching her. She blushed and turned back to her horse.

"No," she replied bluntly. "I think I'm quite capable of getting on a horse all by myself, thank you very much."

"I'm not sure that's entirely true," he smiled. "But as you wish!" Gwaine bowed graciously but continued to watch her. "You know, I was out there, fighting those monsters only moments ago." He waited for Donna to issue some form of gushing reply in response to his heroics, but it was not forthcoming. He tried again. "There was hundreds of them, thousands probably. I was lucky to get back alive." Again, he waited. Gwaine pursed his lips in frustration and shook his head. "Before I ride back into battle where I _will_ face almost certain death, I wonder my fair lady, if would you do me the honour of giving me one of your favours?"

Donna's jaw dropped. "I beg your pardon?" she snapped, turning to face him. "One of my _what?_ "

Gwaine held up his hands in mock surrender. "I simply meant -"

"- _How dare you!_ I'm not giving 'favours' to anyone sunshine! What kind of a woman do you think I am?"

"Mine someday, I hope!" he replied smiling and taking the wind out of Donna's sails completely.

"Oi," she blushed, avoiding Gwaine's gaze. "Pack it in!"

Donna tried again to mount the horse but the heel of her shoe caught in the hem of her dress and she tripped, once again sliding down the animal's flank and landing heavily in the straw.

"And I've told you before," she mumbled crossly. "I am _not_ your lady!" Donna found her feet and dusted the sawdust from her dress. Looking about her she saw an old wooden pail discarded in the corner of the stable. Collecting it and tipping out the contents, she upturned it and placed it firmly next to the horse. Gwaine folded his arms across his chest, grinned and continued to watch with interest.

Taking a deep breath Donna took hold of the saddle once again. She stepped up onto the bucket and swung her leg over the back of the horse but her dress caught on the animal's behind and she found herself stuck fast. She wriggled furiously, trying to shift her centre of balance but the horse simply twisted against her, stamping its foot angrily. Donna cursed under her breath as she heard Gwaine trying his best not to laugh.

"Here, let me help you please!" he said at last, grabbing her foot and placing it in the stirrup. "You're going to be here all night!" Taking hold of her other leg he tried to push her into the right position on the saddle whilst trying his best to maintain her dignity in the dress at the same time.

 _"Oi! Pack that in!"_ Donna yelled. Screaming indignantly at the apparent manhandling from her would-be suitor, Donna began trying to shake him off. _"Get off me! Oi!"_

"I'm trying to help you!" shrieked Gwaine eventually managing to push Donna's leg over the horse's back. As she clawed at the reigns, Donna somehow managed to slide herself into the correct position in the saddle and lay there panting for a second.

"Steady, and there you go!" pronounced Gwaine, smiling triumphantly and slapping Donna squarely on her behind.

Donna, startled by the unexpected imposition, kicked out sharply with her foot inadvertently catching Gwaine directly under the chin and sending him sprawling on to the stable floor.

"Oh you wonderful darling woman!" laughed Gwaine, holding his chin against the pain. "MARRY ME!"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Merlin led the trio as they rode through the forest. It seemed to somehow offer a safe haven of calm in comparison to the confusion and chaos of the city. His mind was in complete turmoil.

 _How could I have been so stupid?_ Merlin scolded himself. Many years ago his friend, the Great Dragon, had revealed to Merlin that it was his destiny to protect Arthur. Merlin had to protect the prince so that he could succeed Uther to the throne and become king of Camelot. Only then could the five kingdoms of Albion be reunited, allowing magic to be returned to the land once again. But now it had all gone terribly wrong, the future king was missing and in all probability, he was dead. And it was all his fault.

"Where are we going?" Donna asked, interrupting Merlin's thoughts.

"To find a friend," he smiled kindly. "He can find Arthur quicker than we ever could. Let's just say he's got a slight advantage!"

Merlin had decided to summon the Great Dragon now, because right at this moment he was their only hope of finding Arthur alive.

Once within the cover of the darkened forest they dismounted and tethered the horses to a nearby log, heading further on foot towards a small open meadow amongst the trees. Merlin instructed the Doctor and Donna to remain under the cover of the trees whilst he continued on into the clearing.

"You'd better wait here, he can be a bit … unsociable." Merlin turned and walked slowly and cautiously out into the moonlight.

The Doctor and Donna settled themselves quietly into a more comfortable position amongst the tree roots as they watched with curiosity.

"I think he's sweet!" Donna said as they waited for Merlin to return.

"Really?!" the Doctor asked surprised. "What, even with the …" he flicked his ears, not wishing to be verbally unkind with regards to Merlin's demonstrable facial features. "… You know!"

"Ha!" she smirked. "Says he!"

"What?!" replied the Doctor affronted.

"Well, says you, with the … hair and the … well, not doing so bad in the nose and chin front yourself! He's a good person Doctor. Always trying to do what's right, isn't that what counts?"

They turned suddenly, their attention being drawn towards the opening in the forest as Merlin's voice called out in the same unfamiliar language that Donna and the Doctor had heard him use earlier.

" _O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd' hup anankes."_

The Doctor and Donna cast a puzzled glance at one another, unsure of what Merlin was up to. They heard him call out again, his voice echoing eerily in the mist as it crept down from the great mountains and rolled lazily across the meadow. On the horizon, dawn was beginning to break, bringing with it the promise of a brand new day but as to what that day had in store, nobody could tell.

Just then, there came the beating of great wings against the night. Not the frantic, irritated fluttering of the invading creatures, but the majestic pulse of a much larger magnificent being.

Their eyes searched through the darkness to locate the source of the noise. Then, through the mist a large, strange creature appeared. Gigantic with a wingspan of almost 30 feet, Donna gasped as the mythical beast, drawn straight from her childhood fantasy books, landed gracefully in the meadow and settled itself on the ground in front of Merlin. The creature, its body covered in pale, pearlescent scales and its great paws with talons like scythes padded softly towards the sorcerer. Donna couldn't believe her eyes when the beast bowed its head respectfully as Merlin approached it. Her jaw dropped, her lips moved but nothing audible emerged. The creature turned its head slowly towards the trees and Donna would have sworn that it looked directly at her. Her breath halted in her chest as its large, amber eyes seemed to burn into her very soul.

"Oh. You. Are. Kidding me!" she stuttered eventually. "Doctor … that's a …"

The Doctor stared incredulously. "But … it can't be …"

"Doctor, you said -"

"Yeah yeah yeah alright, I know what I said, but …"

"So you were wrong! _Again!_ " Donna said turning towards him. "Any other pearls of wisdom Doctor?"

"Alright, I've been wrong about a couple of things here and there, I'll give you that," he whispered in awe. "But this means …this means that that's 'Kilgharrah' - the 'Great Dragon!' Oh! Oh but he is _beautiful!_ Look at him!"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

Merlin's words tumbled over themselves all at once as he attempted to relate all of the recent events to the Great Dragon. He told him of how it had all started with the strange lightning storm and how the Wyvern had descended from the clouds and began attacking Camelot. Merlin began to cry as he told how Arthur was now lost in battle whilst trying to save the kingdom from the creatures and how he should have been there at his side to save him, to stop him … to do _something!_ He pleaded for the creature's help in finding Arthur and saving Camelot from the Wyvern.

The Doctor and Donna were unable to hear Merlin's pleas but were surprised when they saw the beast suddenly give a low bow and then, with an almighty leap from its hind legs, launch himself in to the sky and disappear into the dawn.

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

The Great Dragon swooped low over the lake, his paws skimming the smooth surface of the water. On reaching the banks he landed with an impossible gracefulness for a creature of his enormous size.

He lowered his ancient eyes to the forest floor in momentary silent reverie as he slowly approached Arthur's crumpled, pale and lifeless body lying amongst the reeds.

"This was never meant to be," the dragon said gently, laying his giant paw carefully upon the dead man's chest. "You and I have never been allies young Pendragon, until now. Recent events were not foretold and now a new path must be forged. You are the once and future King, and without you and the young warlock Albion will never come to pass. Your stories are as yet unfinished. There are many tales untold and many characters as yet unencountered. Tonight is not your night to die Arthur Pendragon."

The dragon bowed his great head and closed his eyes. His nostrils flared as he drew an enormous breath. The wind slowed and the air around the lake became still. Tiny delicate particles of light began to appear and seemed to dance around the creature's head as he exhaled gently. His eyes began to glow softly below their furry lids and the lights began to swirl and eddy as they merged together in a gentle glowing cloud that circled its way slowly to the ground gradually encompassing the prince in its wake.

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

"Did you find him?" Merlin called out urgently, running over to the dragon as it landed back in the meadow with a gentle thud. "Did you find Arthur? Is he OK?"

But the creature was focussed on other things and ignored him completely. "So, it was _you_ hiding in the shadows!" he bellowed. "We meet again Doctor!"

"Er no, no I don't think so," the surprised Doctor replied emerging from the trees.

"We have already met," the dragon said, nodding his huge head.

"No, trust me," the Doctor frowned. "I think I might remember meeting a great … big … fire breathing dragon!"

"We _have_ met before Doctor," the dragon insisted. "In your future."

Merlin cast a sideways glance at the Doctor, his eyes wide with wonder, suddenly realising that his new friend's stories about time travel were in fact true.

"Ahhh," the Doctor groaned, scratching his head and turning toward him. "Yeah, time travel. His past, my future. It happens sometimes."

"I believe the last time you were here you referred to it as 'timey wimey'," the dragon said slyly.

"Timey what?" Merlin asked.

"Nothing," the Doctor replied quickly.

"Did you find Arthur?" Merlin asked the Great Dragon again.

"Doctor," Donna whispered, still staring at the creature. "Is that really a … dragon?"

"Oh don't be so thick Donna!" he scolded. "Of course it's not! 'Is it really a dragon?'!"

On overhearing the Doctor's remark, the Great Dragon broke from his conversation with Merlin and cocked his head to one side in order to listen closer.

"Honestly!" the Doctor continued. "All the planets we've been to and everything we've seen … A dragon … seriously?"

"Well, what is it then?" she asked sarcastically, folding her arms crossly.

"It's … it's …" the Doctor stuttered. "Well, it's a creature from another planet, obviously, isn't it!"

The dragon turned his great body and began moving slowly and silently towards the Doctor who was, by now so busy insulting Donna that he failed to notice.

"So, dragons _don't_ really exist?" Donna said resentfully. "He's just …. another alien?"

"Seriously, Donna -"

Donna suddenly became aware of the gigantic creature now edging itself up behind the Doctor. "- Doctor -"

"- it didn't even cross your mind?"

"Doctor -"

Donna involuntarily tiptoed back a step as the Great Dragon's eyes narrowed and he bowed his enormous face to within an inch of the back of the Doctor's head.

"You didn't think a talking dragon was … oh, I dunno … _a bit_ _strange?"_

" _HOW DARE YOU!"_ the creature bellowed so loudly that the rage in the dragon's breath scorched the top of the Doctor's head. " _I_ am a creature borne of magic upon this world! Which is more than can be said of _you_ , Time Lord!"

"But …" the Doctor squeaked, frantically patting the sparks from his hair. "Dragons don't exist! They never did!"

"No indeed!" The dragon settled back on its paws and drew breath. "Until your arrival here many years ago created a paradox."

"What?" the Doctor protested. "Me? What did I do? Why do I always get the blame?"

"OK you two!" Merlin shouted angrily. "Stop squabbling!" he turned to the dragon. "Did you or did you not find Arthur?"

The Great Dragon turned to face his friend and smiled. "Do not fret Merlin, the young Pendragon is quite safe. I have taken him as close to the castle as I dare and he will be found quite well. But it would seem that you have a more important and pressing issue. You must help to save Camelot from destruction by these other creatures."

"Yes. I know!" Merlin cried. "They're Wyvern but they are not listening to me. They are supposed to obey me but they won't. I don't know what to do. I need your help."

"I am afraid that this time, young warlock, the predicament and its solution does not rest solely upon your shoulders. It is not entirely up to you to save Camelot alone."

"What?"

"This time I believe it is the duty of your friend here. The Time Lord has been brought here, albeit unintentionally, to save this world. His future and your destiny are now intertwined. The Doctor is your ally Merlin. He must play his part as you must play yours. By saving Camelot you will save each other. But you must work together if you are both to survive. I must warn you that things are not always as they seem young warlock. These creatures are _not_ my kind! They are the unwritten. I have never seen the likes of their kind before."

"Then they are as the Doctor says … from another world?"

"Indeed!" The dragon nodded. "In order to save this future you must free the creatures from this world. Only then can the future that is meant to be, run its course."

"So …" Donna whispered, turning to the Doctor. "Let me get this straight. Those dragons, the ones back in Camelot _aren't_ dragons, but this dragon _is_ a dragon? Right? So … dragons _do_ exist?"

"Apparently!" the Doctor replied quietly, not taking his eyes from the creature. "Thank you, Kilgarrah."

"Aaah! Finally!" the Great Dragon cried, casting an accusatory glance at Merlin. " _Someone_ uses my name!"

"What? Well …" Merlin replied, slightly affronted. "You hardly _ever_ use mine! And … hey … hang on, how do you know his name?" he asked, turning to the Doctor. "How do you know his name and I don't?"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

On their return to Camelot Merlin, the Doctor and Donna were faced with utter chaos and devastation. Large parts of the mighty citadel were almost in ruins and the skyline burned with the fires raging throughout the city and the lower town. Thick smoke darkened the skies, shrouding the approaching daybreak.

The noise was deafening. The screams and wailing from the injured villagers carried on the air amidst the unearthly screeching from the creatures, hell bent on continuing their mission of destruction. Horses whinnied loudly as their knights continued to lash out with their swords against the winged invaders.

The Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver into the sky and activated the switch. For a brief second the hexagonal matrices he had seen earlier criss-crossed its way across the sky. He blinked as a number of the creatures caught in the sonic field seemed to change shape and no longer resembled miniature dragons.

"Ooh, now that's interesting!" exclaimed the Doctor, but before he could act, the creatures had managed to override the beam of the sonic screwdriver and reverted back to their dragon-form.

Merlin was entranced. "Is it a magic wand?" he asked, referring to the screwdriver.

"Sort of …" the Doctor smiled. "… But no!"

Merlin frowned and nodded. He looked up at the creatures still reigning terror upon Camelot. "So, those creatures aren't magic?"

"No," the Doctor replied.

"They're from another world?"

"Yes." The Doctor fiddled with the settings on the sonic and placed the device gently to his ear, listening for a change in the wave frequency.

"A world other than this one?"

"Yes," the Doctor frowned slightly, trying to concentrate.

"And that's not magic either?" he asked pointing again at the Sonic Screwdriver.

"It's just a machine Merlin, that's all." The Doctor smiled kindly, seeing that Merlin was having a hard time. "It's just a piece of technology." The Doctor stepped forward to address the creatures.

"Who are you?" he shouted. "What do you want from these people? Leave them alone, they've done nothing to you!"

"What are they Doctor?" Donna asked quietly. "Are they shapeshifters?"

"No," he replied, subjecting the creatures to a further blast from the Sonic Screwdriver. "They're using a cloaking device, tricking the eye into seeing something else. They're using a form that the people here would recognise …. and fear! Mind you, that would take an _enormous_ amount of energy. Where are they getting that from? …. _ARGH!"_ The Doctor slapped his forehead wildly. _"MY TARDIS!_ A Void Matrix! _That's_ what I saw in the sky! They've trapped the TARDIS with a Void Matrix and now they're syphoning her energy and using her as a huge battery. How dare they? But … haw haw!" The Doctor laughed wildly and shouted up at the creatures. "They're illegal … I think the Shadow Proclamation are going to want a word with you!"

Donna remained confused. "A … Void Matrix …What's one of them? Is it like some big space fishing net?"

The Doctor went to shake his head but frowned and found himself staring at Donna in dismay instead. "Surprisingly Donna, yes! That's exactly what it's like! Only using energy and with bigger fish … and in this instance, the catch of the day just happens to be my TARDIS! A Void Matrix drains all the energy sources it can find and then stores it, like a great big capacitor. It's just lucky that they've arrived here now. Any later and they could've brought down aircraft; drained power stations, the National Grid … anything! They could've brought the whole world to a standstill. As it is, they've struck absolute gold! There's more raw energy in the heart of the TARDIS than anything it could've found on this planet."

Donna and Merlin looked up as a group of five creatures flew down and began circling above their heads. Donna threw her arms about her hysterically, trying to swat them like gigantic flies but they were too fast and kept trying to lacerate her with their sharp claws.

"Ooh hello!" the Doctor shouted. "What's this … the advance party? The ambassadorial group?"

"Who are you?" enquired a deep, booming voice whilst the creatures continued to attack, spitting fire and sparks at the Doctor's head.

"Oi," he shouted. "Stop it!"

"You do not belong on this tiny planet," the great voice of the leader of the creatures continued.

"And neither do you!" The Doctor turned to the remaining creatures who were still screeching and angrily bearing their talons in his general direction. "Seriously, _stop doing that!"_ he demanded, finally losing his temper. "I'm trying to talk to you!" But the creatures paid him no attention.

"Oh for goodness sake!" The Doctor blasted them again with his screwdriver, this time revealing their true form to the others - small, hairy, friendly-looking troll-like creatures with abnormally large feet and hands. The creatures fell silent and dropped motionless to the floor.

Donna and Merlin watched apprehensively as the five aliens got slowly to their feet. The creatures remained silent, simply staring back at them with their large sorrowful eyes. The Doctor eyed them warily, taken aback by their unusually friendly appearance.

"And … you are _not_ what I was expecting!" The Doctor mumbled eventually. "You're not very scary at all, are you? In fact," he smiled, "you're actually quite cute!"

With that, one of the smaller aliens bit him hard on the back of the leg.

"Ow!" The Doctor yelped. "What was that for?"

"We are not _cute!_ " the creature replied angrily.

"So let me get this straight," said Donna crossly. "All those people are dying because of a group of overgrown Furbees?"

"We are not 'Furbees'. We are the Maloch from the great flat planet of Shomb."

The other creatures saluted majestically and proudly burst into song with their national anthem. "Shomb! Shomb! Shomb! …"

"OK, OK! That'll do. So what are you doing here?" the Doctor asked. "Apart from killing hundreds of people and generally upsetting me?"

"Our planet has vanished."

"What? What do you mean 'vanished'?" the Doctor frowned. "A planet can't just vanish. It can die, it can explode, it can i _mplode_ , but it can't just vanish that's not possible."

"Its co-ordinates moved in space. The skies burned and the new atmosphere was incompatible with our species. We are all that is left of our kind. We have been searching for a new planet to call home."

"So, what's with all the killing ... and you can stop that by the way, _right now!_ There's no need to hurt these people, I can help you."

The creatures stared at the Doctor, eyeing him suspiciously. The small, bitey Maloch snarled at him again, bearing his small but impossibly sharp teeth.

"Stop it!" The Doctor warned glaring at him.

The remaining members of the Maloch advance party gathered in a circle muttering amongst themselves for a moment before their leader shouted up to the skies and signalled the remainder of the Maloch fleet to halt their attack.

Gradually the skies began to clear as one by one the Maloch returned to their true form and settled peacefully on the ground behind their leader, seemingly awaiting further instructions.

"Thank you," said the Doctor. "That's better. I'm the Doctor by the way. Now, what do you want with these people, what have they ever done to you?"

"I am Fahl, the leader of the Maloch. These people, they live here," the leader said. "They occupy these lands."

"Yeah so, you got a problem with that?" Merlin piped up defensively.

"Yes," Fahl replied simply.

The Doctor waited. After a moment he raised his eyebrows expectantly, but a further explanation was still not forthcoming.

" _Which is?"_ he asked impatiently.

Fahl kicked the ground like a petulant child. "Because _we_ wanted it," he grumbled. "It is supposed to belong to us now! We travelled back in time to get the planet first but those angry, war-mongering green lizards, the _Silurians_ kicked us out … so we came back now, now that they've gone … and found this lot! We tried coming peacefully, by disguising ourselves as one of them," he pointed randomly to a nearby field. "We tried being friendly but they kept killing us … _for meat!"_

The Doctor looked to Merlin who shrugged in confusion. "What? No we didn't! Doctor, I have never seen these creatures before!"

"They are blood-thirsty animals!" Fahl continued.

The Doctor looked out at the field and a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hang on. When you say you disguised yourselves as 'one of them' do you mean … one of _them?"_ he asked, pointing to a herd of cows grazing lazily in the field behind them.

"Yes," Fahl continued.

"Riiiight. Yeah, you might want to rethink that next time." The Doctor ran his hands through his hair whilst trying to come up with an amicable solution. "Well," he sighed. "You can't stay here like this. Leave these people in peace or better still stay here in peace!"

"We're not being unreasonable Doctor -" a small Maloch said quietly, standing forward from the others.

"Not being unreasonable?" the Doctor exclaimed. "You're killing them!"

The small Maloch's eyes widened with fear and she ran back to the ranks, hiding behind the other larger Maloch for safety.

"No, we're not, look - we've stopped!" reasoned Fahl. "We don't want the whole planet Doctor, just a bit of it. This bit."

"Then let me talk to them," the Doctor reasoned, turning to Fahl. "We could draw up at treaty, I'm sure they'd come to some arrangement. Wouldn't they Merlin?"

Merlin nodded for a second and then shook his head. "Yeah … actually no, no I couldn't in all honesty see Uther agreeing to that somehow!"

"Really?" Now it was the Doctor's turn to shake his head.

"Yeah," Merlin continued. "He has enough problems with the Druids. And they're human!"

"Humans … honestly why can't you ever just learn to share!"

"So what we do Doctor?" Fahl asked, raising his fists. "We shall take this place by force if we have to."

The Doctor remained unconvinced. "Right … Well, you can close _that_ for a start!" he said pointing to the Void Matrix as it flashed against the sky, exposing a whirling vortex of growing energy, lightning and dark impending gaseous clouds. "You've opened a portal to this world … it's not safe! It's being fuelled by the raw energy from the TARDIS and it will grow and keep on growing. Anything could come through – you need to close it now!"

The Maloch grew uneasy and began muttering amongst themselves. The Doctor could feel their unrest.

"But if we close the matrix we will be stranded here," Fahl said.

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you - shut down the Void Matrix and close the portal. Now! Make your peace with these people or you can come with me. I can find you somewhere safe to live."

"You can take all of us Doctor?" Fahl asked uncertainly. "And we will be safe?"

"I give you my word."

The Maloch mumbled amongst themselves until finally, they formed a line with their leader and approached the Doctor.

"OK Doctor. If we have your word, we will come with you."

The Doctor looked down at the small furry creature now standing at his feet, hardly believing what he was hearing. "Really?" he said surprised. "Blimey! Nobody ever agrees to that! You're normally all with the fighting and colonising and …"

"They said 'yes' Doctor!" Donna interrupted. "Let's do it before they change their minds eh?"

The Doctor smiled uneasily and turned from the Maloch. "Yes, just one tiny problem Donna," he whispered in her ear. "… No TARDIS remember?"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

As morning broke, thick acrid smoke continued to billow from the ruined buildings and filled the skies above Camelot. The lower town was all but lost. Even though the onslaught had ceased and the creatures had disappeared, the great bell within the citadel continued to ring out its melancholic swansong. No longer warning of impending disaster but instead defining tragedy and heartbreak. The bodies of the dead had been covered and lay in sad rows within the walls of the rear courtyard, awaiting to be claimed by their families, should they have survived.

Gwen sat on the small wall overlooking the gardens, wringing her handkerchief anxiously through her fingers. She dabbed at her face, now puffy and swollen from her desperate tears. She watched as the sun rose and edged its way slowly up the castle walls.

Prince Arthur watched her for a moment through the window. So many times the previous night had he begun to think that he would never lay eyes on that beautiful face again. The prince took a deep breath, straightened his tunic and walked out through the stone archway.

On hearing footsteps approaching behind her, Gwen turned. Her throat tightened so as she could hardly breathe and her heart filled that she thought it would burst. Not caring who could see or for what anybody thought, Gwen rose and ran down the gravel pathway straight into Arthur's arms where he held her tightly, their tears mingling and vowing never to leave each other's side again.

"I thought I'd lost you!" she sobbed. "Don't ever do that to me again!"

Arthur looked deep into her eyes, taking in every feature. Gently, he wiped a tear from her cheek with his finger.

"I thought that I would never see you again. If anything had happened to you, I would never have forgiven myself. I have come to realise that you are more precious to me than anything I hold dear in this life. But … my father …" Arthur paused, swallowing hard. "When I am king -"

"I know, I know!" Gwen cried, wiping a tear from Arthur's face in return. "And I will wait, however long it takes."

On the far side of the courtyard, through the gate from the gardens, Lord Agravaine arrived on horseback and began surveying the dead. He trotted slowly up and down the rows. As his gaze rose from the lines of corpses, he caught sight of Prince Arthur through the gated archway, in a passionate embrace in the gardens with … _surely not!_ His face darkened and an anger sparked within him.

' _Well, of all the impertinence!_ ' he thought. _'The Crown Prince, the future king, with a serving girl!'_ Agravaine smiled slyly. _'Oh, I can just imagine what the King will have to say about this!'_ However his train of thought was broken by the sudden approach of one of the Duty Guards. Agravaine listened impatiently as the guard proceeded to give him a complete run-down of the damage sustained to the citadel and the current death toll.

"And what of the prisoners?" Lord Agravaine interrupted him hastily. "Has there been any sign of them?"

The guard shook his head. "No my lord, but their cell was completely destroyed. They could never have escaped alive."

Agravaine's face clouded with distrust. "Never say never," he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "I've seen people escape from far worse."

"I'm sorry my lord?"

"They are sorcerers and are not to be trusted." Agravaine said, turning his horse and making his way out of the courtyard. "Keep your eyes open," he called out. "Tell your men that if the prisoners are spotted they are to be killed on sight."

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

Merlin sat at the dinner table whilst Gaius busied himself with his daily chores. Currently he was methodically wiping down his work bench, tidying away the glass vials of medicaments as he went. He looked over at Merlin who was unusually quiet, staring blankly at the table top and idly tapping the side of his water jug with his fingers. Gaius knew this was generally a sign that something was weighing heavily on his mind. He tossed the wash cloth into the nearby bucket and sat down opposite Merlin.

"What is it?" Gaius asked him quietly.

Merlin shrugged simply but said nothing.

"Come on, I know you by now Merlin. Something's troubling you. Is it anything I can help with?"

Merlin sat back in his chair. "We owe them Gaius," he sighed. "The Doctor and Donna I mean, they saved Camelot. Not that anyone would know it, everyone thinks they're dead. Killed in the attack.

"All things considered, isn't that a good thing, for their sakes at any rate?"

"I s'pose." Merlin huffed and dropped his head in his hands.

"At least they are free, the guards won't be looking for them now. They can go home," said Gaius.

"But that's just it – they can't!" Merlin cried. "They're stuck here! I want to help them to get home, but I can't. I don't know how. I don't know anything about machinery or … or about their technology."

"Well, if what you say about this blue box of theirs is true," Gaius reasoned. "And it is 'alive', then that suggests that it is organic in some way. Perhaps a healing spell would do the trick?"

Merlin's head shot up. "Could that work?" he asked excitedly.

Gaius smiled, pleased to see a hint of the old Merlin back in his eyes. "I really have no idea Merlin," he chuckled. "But I don't think you've got anything to lose by trying, do you?"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Merlin entered slowly through the TARDIS door and looked about him. The Doctor and Donna smirked, exchanging knowing glances as he turned through 360 degrees and immediately left to examine the outside one more time! After a moment or two, Merlin reappeared at the door and walked apprehensively into the darkened TARDIS.

" _Leoht!"_ he whispered eventually.

A small glowing orb of light appeared in the centre of Merlin's palm. Gently, he threw it up into the air where it grew into a large sphere and began to light the interior of the control room. The Doctor looked up and smiled in wonder. He turned his gaze back to Merlin – he loved this bit!

Merlin couldn't believe his eyes! He steadied himself on the metal handrails, awestruck and totally captivated. Blinking, he attempted to comprehend all that he saw before him. Beautiful and wonderful and impossible. Merlin's mind raced. And it _was_ impossible surely! A room too big for its walls with vast high ceilings that domed above him. He stood motionless, sensing the aura of power and majesty that the TARDIS commanded over anyone who entered. It was literally out of this world. Timeless.

Slowly Merlin made his way up the metal ramp towards what seemed to be the centre of the ship. The Doctor and Donna smiled to each other as Merlin ran his fingers lightly over the live coral-like structures that formed the tall, striking pillars. He faltered as he approached the magnificent central console with its imposing glass Time Column and instrument panels jammed with odd looking buttons, levers and dials and … hang on … was that a hammer? Merlin broke into a slow, wide smile.

"It's … it's impossible!" Merlin stuttered pointing at nothing in particular.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with impossible Merlin!" replied the Doctor joining him at the scanner module. "Think of it as magic!" he winked.

"And she _is_ alive!" Merlin's grin widened. "How big is it?"

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair and smiled. "I _honestly_ have no idea! Sometimes, I think parts of her are still growing!"

Merlin grinned incredulously. "She's beautiful! But what happened? Why is she broken?"

The Doctor slumped in his chair and rested his feet up on the console, only to have them pushed straight off again by Donna. "When we hit the Void Matrix it triggered a massive power surge, causing a temporary overload through the main temporal router circuitry. It acted like a trip switch, killing the Dynamorphic Regenerators. And now there's not enough residual power to reboot her."

Merlin stared blankly at the Doctor for a moment. "I literally have no idea what you just said …" he said grinning. "Didn't understand a word of it!"

Merlin looked up at the Time Rotor. Leaning over the navigation panel on the console, he placed his hands gently against the cool glass column. He felt a slight, tingling vibration against his skin. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Merlin began to recite the healing spell that he and Gaius had found in one of his old books.

 _"_ _Ic the thurhhaele thinu licsar,"_ he whispered. Merlin's eyes flashed orange for a brief second. He glanced up at the Time Rotor hopefully but nothing happened. Mind you, Merlin had to admit that he wasn't entirely sure what it was that he was hoping for. But he knew there had to be _something,_ some sign of life. He closed his eyes and tried again.

 _"_ _Ic the thurhhaele thinu licsar,"_ he repeated but louder this time. Again, his eyes flashed briefly as the spell was cast. The Doctor and Donna looked on expectantly but again nothing happened. Merlin was becoming frustrated, he shook his hands by his side before replacing them on the Time Column. Closing his eyes, he prepared to try the spell a third time.

"Merlin," interrupted the Doctor, placing his hand gently on his shoulder. "Thank you for trying, really, but -"

"- No!" Merlin replied firmly through gritted teeth. "This _has_ to work."

"Mer -"

 _"_ _Ic the thurhhaele thinu licsar!"_ Merlin cried loudly.

A single bright spark suddenly shot out from the console and landed by Merlin's feet. A smile broke on his lips as an inaudible hum seemed to emanate from deep within the TARDIS walls. But Merlin could feel it! He turned his eyes to the top of the column, the vibrations were becoming stronger.

Donna moved involuntarily to stand behind the Doctor, who smiled kindly taking hold of her hand in an attempt to reassure her. Merlin took a deep intake of breath and, placing both hands firmly on the central console, he prepared to cast the spell once more. His face contorted with concentration.

 _"_ _IC THE THURHHAELE THINU LICSA,"_ he roared suddenly, startling Donna. Tears filled his eyes as his voice grew and penetrated the entirety of the ship. _"MITH DAM SUNDORCRAEFT THAERE EALDAN AE. DRYCRAEFT THURHHAELE THINA WUNDA OND THE GEETHSTATHOLIE!"_

As the echoes of the spell died, the humming from within the TARDIS grew to a crescendo and the Time Rotor suddenly burst into life, shuddering its way slowly and unsteadily up to the top of its glass column.

"Oh yes!" The Doctor and Merlin cried in unison.

The floor clattered and clanked as the rotor juddered to full speed and the interior lights brightened. The Doctor rushed excitedly around the console, wildly and frantically pushing levers, flicking switches and almost slipping over on the floor. He laughed loudly as the familiar droning wheeze of the TARDIS suddenly began to fill the room.

"Still don't believe in magic Doctor?" asked Merlin, grinning widely.

The Doctor looked across the console at him. "Still don't believe in time travel Merlin?" he laughed. "Cos … we're taking off!"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Go on then," the Doctor instructed Merlin, motioning towards the door. "We've landed. Take a look!"

A large grin spread across Merlin's face as he raced for the door but stopped short before opening it. His fingers rested on the handle.

"Go on!" the Doctor laughed. "We've talked about the future often enough. See it for yourself!"

Merlin cautiously pulled the handle, opened the door and poked his head outside. His heart froze in his chest. There was so many people! Hundreds and hundreds it seemed, all rushing about and knocking into one another. Merlin swallowed hard. He jumped slightly as Donna placed her hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" she asked him softly.

"All those people!" Merlin replied quietly turning his face towards her. "There's so many of them! Where have they all come from? Where are they all _going?_ "

"It's a shopping centre!" Donna said, matter-of-factly. "Seriously Doctor, of all the places you could have shown him and you've taken him to a shopping centre!"

"Don't blame me!" came the Doctor's reply from inside the TARDIS. "Oh, hang on …"

Merlin turned his eyes back through the door and stared out in wonder. Taking a small tentative step outside the doorway, he looked around him feeling slightly overwhelmed. Crowds of people hurried passed him, large buildings with huge glass windows and dazzling signs above their doors. Merlin faltered back as a car suddenly raced passed them a short distance from the TARDIS. "What the hell was _that?_ " he shrieked.

"It's ok Merlin," Donna said gently, moving by him to stand out in the street. "They're just cars," she said, donning her sunglasses. "It's how people get around nowadays."

Suddenly, Merlin's face fell. His eyes widened and his body turned rigid. "Oh my …." he mumbled. Merlin's eyes followed the young lady as she walked by him. "Donna! But she's … she's …" Merlin's face blushed a deep scarlet and he averted his face.

"What is it? Merlin what's wrong?" Donna asked.

"That lady!" Merlin whispered urgently. "She's … she's nearly naked! I mean she's barely wearing anything at all!" Merlin lowered his voice even further. "You can see her _knees!"_

Donna laughed affectionately, "It's ok Merlin, it's the fashion. People are allowed to show their knees in public now!" Donna poked her head back through the door of the TARDIS just as the Doctor joined them. "Doctor? Where are we?"

"Home!" replied the Doctor, nudging Merlin from the doorway and pushing him out into the crowded street. "Well, Merlin's home anyway."

"I don't understand," Merlin smiled nervously. "This doesn't look much like Camelot!"

"This is the Camelot of your future." The Doctor placed his hands reassuringly on Merlin's shoulders. "This is what it's all for Merlin! This! People going about their day to day business, living their lives the way they want to live them, without anyone judging them, or worse, burning them at the stake! Freedom Merlin. This is what it's all about!"

Relaxing slightly, Merlin laughed and looked around him in amazement. "Why aren't they stopping? Can't they see us?"

The Doctor considered this for a second. Normally he wouldn't bother going into details about how the TARDIS worked. Normally it was more trouble than it was worth, it just made people confused and uneasy as they didn't understand it, and so they would just waste time asking stupid questions usually involving invisibility cloaks and the like. But, after a moment or two, the Doctor came to the conclusion that Merlin was not normal, and that anyone as clever as Merlin would probably just 'get it'.

"Well," he ventured. "The TARDIS has something built in to her defence systems called a 'perception filter'. It … _changes_ the way people see you, shifts their perception a tiny bit. In this case, it allows the people around you see you but not quite 'register' you enough to really notice you."

"Oh!" said Merlin brightly. "I get it!"

"Yeah, I thought you might!" the Doctor smirked.

Merlin turned back to the hustle and bustle of the city centre. "What year are we in?"

"Errrm, well that's the thing about the TARDIS, you're never really sure where you're gonna end up, but I think I can definitely safely say it's the 21st century. Latter part of the 20th at a push."

"In the future, are there others like you? Time Lords, I mean?"

Donna looked up as the Doctor's face fell slightly. "No, there's just me," he replied quietly. "Just like your old friend Kilgarrah, I am the last of my kind."

"What happened?" Merlin asked quietly. "What happened to your people?"

"There was a war," the Doctor explained. "The Last Great Time War, fought across every corner of every galaxy. Fought throughout the whole of Time and space, by every planet and every species. We all fought, every last one of us. And they all died, except me. I was the only one who could end it. I was the only survivor."

"Then you are alone? Except for Donna I mean."

"Oh I'm not that Merlin!" the Doctor said cheerily. "I'm never that!"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

Gaius headed down the dirt pathway leading back from the outskirts of the lower town. He was tired and his body ached from the strain of the last couple of days. There was much still to do in Camelot. Parts of the castle were in ruins and he had had to open one of the castle's banqueting halls as a room in which to care for the injured. Still, at least with them all being together in one place, it saved his feet somewhat on his rounds.

Suddenly the dirt and dust around Gaius' feet began to swirl in small circular movements, gradually getting bigger and bigger and rising further from the ground.

Gaius stopped in his tracks and shielded his eyes from the draught and the debris. A strange whining, humming vibration filled the air around him. As he opened his eyes, Gaius was confronted with a large blue box. A large blue box which had definitely not been there just a moment ago! Gaius dropped his bag of vegetables, his turnips promptly rolling off into the ditch.

"What the devil -?" he exclaimed, standing with his mouth gaping, staring at the strange object in front of him.

Inside the TARDIS the Doctor switched on the external scanner monitor. Merlin turned from the doors and ran over to take a look.

"Look! There's Gaius!" he laughed, pointing at the screen. "What's he doing?"

"Well now where did that come from?" Gaius mumbled as he stumbled around the four outside walls of the box.

"To be fair to him Merlin," the Doctor replied. "A great big blue box has just appeared out of thin air right in front of him, what else is he gonna do?"

"Ha! Happens to us all!" said Donna entering the control room.

"How comes he can see us though?" Merlin asked. "I thought you said -"

"It would appear that Gaius is more like you than I thought!" said the Doctor, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Some people if they're very clever, not as clever as me obviously, but above average clever, can see through the filter."

"I'm not going to tell him that you said that," Merlin chuckled. "I'll never hear the end of it!"

"And plus, we did land slap bang right in front of him, so we'd be pretty hard to miss!"

The Doctor switched off the scanner screen and grabbed his coat from the old wooden hat stand. "Come on, let's go and put him out of his misery shall we?"

Gaius stumbled backwards as the front door of the box opened and Merlin, the Doctor and Donna emerged.

"I just … I don't believe it!" Gaius exclaimed. "Merlin! You were right! Well, bless me … I've seen some things in my time but _this!_ Ha!" With that Gaius toddled off back towards home, chuckling all the way. His mind full of questions about blue boxes, Space and 'time travel'.

Merlin frowned, slightly confused. "OK! That was odd! I'm sure he'll ask about it later!" Shaking his head, he turned back to the Doctor. "Will the aliens come back? Will there be others?" he asked quietly.

"Oh yes!" the Doctor nodded enthusiastically. "Hundreds of 'em!"

"Oi!" Donna exclaimed elbowing him in the ribs. "Tactfulness – remember?"

"Yes, sorry! Yes, there may be more, but not for a very long time," the Doctor corrected himself. "And Merlin, you can't tell anyone about any of this - about me, the TARDIS or the creatures. It's better to let everyone think they _were_ creatures of magic … funnily enough _that_ they can believe in! Start telling them about creatures from another planet and well … who knows what it could do to them. It would certainly destroy a few good legends if nothing else! No, they're best left believing in magic. After all there are worse things to believe in."

"Where will you go next?"

"Oh I dunno, we've got to find somewhere to drop the Maloch off first! Which reminds me -"

"Doctor?" Merlin said quietly without looking up. "Will you take me with you?"

"Merlin I -"

"– There's nothing here for me!" he pleaded. Donna was shocked to see the tears beginning to well in Merlin's eyes.

"Every day I have to hide who I truly am. Every day I risk my secret being found out, and if that ever happens, I will be executed, by the people I consider to be my friends. Do you know how hard that is? I just want to be myself. I just want to be happy."

"Merlin, I would love to take you with us. I would, but you are part of history here, and I can't change that. The effects on the time lines would be … catastrophic!"

Merlin nodded despondently, wiping his face with his sleeve.

"Merlin, honestly, I would! But you've got work to do here." The Doctor and Merlin turned as they heard Prince Arthur's voice in the distance, shouting impatiently for Merlin. "Uh oh, talking of which …" the Doctor grinned.

Merlin couldn't help but give a little chuckle. He hadn't seen Arthur since the battle and realised suddenly that he had missed him a great deal. "Yeah, I know, my 'Destiny'."

"It's greater than you realise Merlin," the Doctor went on. "Albion, the five unified kingdoms, all that is still to come …. Can't happen without you! Prince Arthur needs you, more than you know. Someone needs to keep an eye on him."

"You can say that again, but to be honest, I feel like killing him myself most of the time!" Merlin laughed, wiping his face again. "Doctor, you showed me the future, but do I fulfil my destiny, with Arthur I mean?"

"Oh, above and beyond Merlin, believe me!" he grinned.

"Then Arthur lives to become King?"

The Doctor was unsure about how to answer him. He looked to Merlin, his smile fading.

"Where I come from -" Donna interrupted, sensing the Doctor's unease.

"- Donna!" the Doctor warned, glaring at her.

"Oh shut it!" she said quietly before turning back to Merlin. "The place where I was born, the place we've just been to, it's called the United Kingdom … doesn't that tell you anything?"

"Actually, good point Donna!" The Doctor smiled. "Your story lives on Merlin… forever! There is not a single person who has not heard of you and Arthur."

"Not being funny," Donna said. "But even _I've_ heard of you and I don't read!"

"You can't read?" Merlin asked, looking shocked.

"Yes," Donna glared at him, before taking a deep breath and rephrasing. "Yes, yes I _can_ read! I said I _don't_ read! I mean, of course I _can_ read," she snorted. "– I'm not an idiot!

"I can't read," said the local village idiot, stopping to pick up a stray turnip from the ditch. The Doctor, Merlin and Donna stopped and turned to the interloper who, blissfully unaware of his intrusion, continued with his spectacular find of free vegetables.

Eventually the Doctor turned his attention back towards Merlin. "You're …" he glanced back briefly, still slightly distracted by the village idiot. "…You're part of the fabric of the history of this world."

Out of the corner of her eye, Donna became aware of Sir Gwaine lurking across the square, trying desperately to catch her attention. Smiling slightly to herself, she excused herself from Merlin and walked slowly over towards him.

"My Lady," Gwaine pronounced bowing low before her and presenting her with a small posy of freshly picked flowers.

Donna accepted them graciously and found herself blushing, again! Perhaps he wasn't so bad. After all, she had admitted that deep down she had breathed a sigh of relief on hearing of his safe return from the battle.

"Sir Gwaine!" Donna replied with a smile and a clumsy attempt at a curtsey. "We're going to be off in a minute. But look, I've doing a bit of thinking, and well," she dug around in her pocket for a second and finally pulled out an old, crumpled cotton handkerchief. "Here's that favour you asked for! What harm can it do eh?"

Gwaine beamed as he took the handkerchief gently from her. Holding it up to his face Gwaine closed his eyes and took a long, gentle sniff.

 _'God I hope that was clean!'_ Donna suddenly thought to herself.

"My lady, I will treasure it always and wear it upon my person until the end of my days."

"Not that it means anything else mind!" Donna said quickly. "Don't go getting any funny ideas. It doesn't mean we're engaged or anything!"

Gwaine took her hands gently in his and stepped closer towards her. "Lady Donna, do you think that you will ever return to these parts and make an honest man of me?" His eyes searched her face for some sign, some glimmer of hope.

"No," Donna said gently. "Gwaine I'm so sorry. I'm sure you're a lovely person and everything but -"

"Then I ask of you only this," Gwaine swallowed hard and spoke softly as he made his heartfelt request. "Think of me often my lady, as I will think of you every day until my dying breath."

Donna nodded, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her.

"But now my lady," he said taking a deep breath and composing himself. "I fear your master is about to leave."

"My what?" Donna asked taken aback.

"The Doctor," he said, motioning towards him. "I fear he is about to leave Camelot and take you from me for ever. Is there nothing I can say or do to make you reconsider my lady?"

Donna answered him with a kiss that was intended for his cheek, however Gwaine, not wishing to miss out on his last chance, turned his face at the last instance and Donna kissed him full on the lips.

"Merlin!" Prince Arthur's yelling was becoming closer. "Where are you? You useless lump of horse dung!"

"Looks like duty calls!" Merlin smiled. "You'd better be off before he sees you! He still thinks you're dead!"

"Good point!" the Doctor laughed. "Goodbye Merlin, who knows maybe we'll meet again."

"I hope so Doctor!"

 _"_ _MER-LIN!"_

Merlin turned around to see Prince Arthur approaching in the distance. Even from here he could see that the prince had a face like thunder. Merlin's face fell for a second.

"I'd better go!" he said as he started to run, but then turned back to the Doctor and Donna and smiled. "Goodbye Doctor. Good luck Donna!"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

The Maloch leader stood in the doorway of the TARDIS, meticulously counting each of the junior Maloch as they entered on board and ticking them off one by one on his clipboard as they went.

"And make sure you count them _all!"_ the Doctor called out to him. _"_ I don't want any strays left behind. "And as for you lot," he shouted out to the creatures who were by now walking in line through the control room out into a corridor at the back of the TARDIS. "Don't go wandering off. You'll get lost. Trust me. It's a jungle back there … and I mean that quite literally."

The Doctor looked over and suddenly noticed Donna at the opposite end of the control room, sitting quietly, lost in her own thoughts. He wandered over towards her.

"I wonder if I'll still get my horse?" he ventured, trying to lift her mood. "I had a horse once," he frowned, "but Rose wouldn't let me keep him. Said he made too much mess in the TARDIS. Funny," he chuckled suddenly, "his name was Arthur too!"

"Don't Doctor!" Donna said angrily, avoiding his eyes.

"Sorry," the Doctor replied sheepishly. "Are you ok?" he asked her after a moment or two.

"All those people, dead. Families torn apart, all because some stupid aliens wanted to take over the world. It's not right Doctor! Ughhh … I don't want to think about it." Donna rested her head on the back of the chair and stared blankly up at the ceiling. "Sometimes I just want to forget about all the bad stuff and just remember the good bits. But life's not like that is it?"

"No," he said softly. "And it shouldn't be either. We shouldn't ever forget. Bad things happen all the time but you learn from them. They help us to remember who we are. They stop us from making the same mistakes over and over. At least they're supposed to," he grinned. "They help us to grow." The Doctor paused, his eyes searching Donna's face. "Do you want to go home?"

"Yeah," Donna replied quietly after a minute. "No. Oh Doctor, I don't know!" she groaned.

The Doctor adjusted the TARDIS controls; primed the Vortex Loop and activated the Wormhole Refractors. Dimension Stabilisers ready … all set for dematerialisation. But to where?

"How about one final journey to decide?" Donna suggested after a while. "If it's a good one I'll stay, if it's rubbish – I'm off."

"Deal!" the Doctor smiled. "We'll drop this lot off on the way, there's a nice little planet in the Ripple Galaxy - breathable atmosphere, uninhabited, no cows! They should be happy enough. Then one last adventure. Let's make it a good one eh? Cos, I really don't want you to go Donna."

"Why?" Donna asked looking up at him.

"Because, you're my moral compass, always nagging me all the time! Always telling me what to do!" The Doctor took hold of her and hugged her tightly. "Always reminding me of what I _should_ be doing."

"Alright! Alright!" Donna said, releasing herself after a minute or two. "That's quite enough of that thanks Spaceman!"

"Quite right too! Sorry!" smiled the Doctor. "So, where's it to be then?"

 **THE END**


End file.
